Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics
BATH, Mich. - The Kansas State men's golf team put together a score of 3-under par 281 during Monday's opening round of the 2023 NCAA Bath Regional held at the par-71, 7,090-yard Eagle Eye Golf Club.
The Wildcats are in eighth place among the 13-team field but only two shots out of fifth place as the top five teams in the regional advance to the NCAA Championship. K-State's score of 281 was the second-best team mark for a regional in school history just behind the 280 that the Wildcats recorded in the final round of the 2003 NCAA Central Regional.
"I would say it was an okay round. We made quite a few birdies, but we had a couple of big numbers on par 5s that hurt us," head coach Grant Robbins said. "Other than that, I thought all five guys were pretty solid. I like where everyone's game is right now. If we can just stay patient and make a few putts, I feel like we can make a big move tomorrow."
Junior Luke O'Neill led the Wildcats on Monday with a 3-under par 68 thanks to five birdies and two bogeys. A product of Connemara, Ireland, O'Neill tied for second in the field in par-3 scoring and tied for 10th in total birdies during the first round. He enters the second round in a tie for 11th place on the individual leaderboard.
Joining O'Neill in the top 20 is Tim Tillmanns in a tie for 20th place at 2-under par 69. The senior recorded four birdies and a pair of bogeys over the first 18 holes.
Another senior, Will Hopkins, is tied for 30th at 1-under par 70. He went bogey free on the first nine holes with two birdies, but three bogeys compared to two birdies during the second nine dropped him down the leaderboard.
Sophomores Cooper Schultz and Nicklaus Mason are tied for 59th place at 3-over par 74. Mason, a product of Shawnee, Kansas, carded four birdies on the day, but four bogeys and a triple-bogey on No. 18 gave him his final score of 3-over par.
Georgia leads the field by six shots thanks to an opening-round score of 18-under par 266. Illinois and host-school Michigan State are tied for second place at 12-under par 272.
The Bulldogs have three of the top 11 players on the individual leaderboard and are paced by Ben Van Wyk at 6-under par 65.
Kansas State begins its second round of the 2023 NCAA Bath Regional with an 8:55 a.m. (ET) tee time on Tuesday as the Wildcats are paired with Florida and Liberty. Live results can be followed at Golfstat.com.