With warm temperatures making their way across the state indicating the close arrival of spring, the Kansas State men’s golf team is getting its season underway.

K-State heads west to La Quinta, California, where the Wildcats will compete against 28 other schools, including Big 12 foes Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Tech and BYU, in the Prestige tournament. Multiple other power conferences will represent in the tournament as well, making for a fun weekend of competition and a measuring-stick opportunity for K-State.

The Wildcats last played in the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational at the end of October last year, making it a long period of waiting for the ‘Cats to get back to swinging the clubs. K-State finished 10th in the tournament, its worst finish of the fall semester. 

Despite a non-ideal finish to the season, the Wildcats had earlier finishes in first, second, fourth and fifth place, and will surely be ready to get back on the course and compete at a high level of play as they did early on last year. 

This semester, K-State’s team will also look a little different with the addition of Jack Taylor, a community college transfer from Southern Mountain Community College in Phoenix. Taylor was ranked the sixth-best golfer in the junior college ranks and will be a consistent option for the Wildcats this spring.

K-State will play in five tournaments, including the Prestige, before it gets to Big 12 tournament play and NCAA Regionals. The Wildcats will travel all over the country with stops at Michigan State, Mississippi State, Coastal Carolina and South Alabama. 

Varying locations will be good for K-State as it will force the team to play in different conditions and challenge them ahead of NCAA Regionals play, where they could end up playing anywhere. 

K-State will golf in the Prestige tournament on Feb. 16-18. The tournament schedule and tee times have yet to be announced.