Kansas State men’s golf finished its final round of the Colleton River Collegiate at even par, allowing the Wildcats to move up slightly to finish in a tie for 12th place.
K-State shot seven over par in the first round and three over par in the second round, getting off to a slow start at the event and being 10 over after the first day. In the final round, just one-third of the teams shot even or under par, including the Wildcats, who showed their ability to play quality golf.
“I was really proud of how the guys responded today in the final round,” K-State associate head coach Cullen Carstens said. “They came out and played very solid in the windiest conditions of the week.”
Ville Virkkala was the top finisher for the Wildcats, placing 28th. Virkkala opened up the tournament with a one-under-par round and finished his last two rounds shooting one over par in each. When K-State was struggling and needed help as a team, Virkkala was able to card a good score and remain consistent throughout.
Coming in second for the Wildcats was Fionn Dobbin, who finished in 44th place. Dobbin got off to a slow start in the tournament, shooting six over par, but was able to anchor the team over the last two rounds, shooting one under in each to finish at four over par.
Behind Dobbin in 48th place was Alex Lindstrom, who finished at five over par as he also had a rough first day. Lindstrom shot four over par in round one, but regrouped quickly over the next two rounds like the rest of the team did.
“Overall, it was a disappointing week for us as our execution just wasn’t as sharp as we needed it to be in the first two rounds, so we struggled to build any momentum throughout the day on Sunday,” Carstens said.
Kentucky ultimately won the event, carding an eight under par during round two, which led them on their way to finishing 11 under as a team and one shot ahead of Ohio State.
While K-State finished at 10 over par, they have to feel confident about how they finished shooting — three over in the second round — and finishing strong with their even par last round.
The Wildcats will try to carry that style of play into their next contest at the Michael A. Marino Classic, held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, from March 15-17.
