2004 NCAA Central Regional

Kampen Course at Birck Boilermaker G.C.

West Lafayette, Ind.

Dates: May 20-22

Par:  72

Yardage:  7,259

Total Holes:  54

Format:  18 holes all three days

The Field (Seed): Kansas State (13), Oklahoma State (1), Texas (2), TCU (3), Minnesota (4), Oklahoma (5), Kentucky (6), Arkansas (7), Kansas (8), Tulsa (9), Colorado (10), SMU (11), Texas Tech (12), Baylor (14), Texas A&M (15), Xavier (16), Illinois (17), Ohio State (18), Purdue (19), Kent State (20), Wichita State (21), Indiana (22), Lamar (23), Notre Dame (24), Princeton (25), Western Illinois (26), Jackson State (27)

The NCAA Central Regional Lineup

Name   Yr-Exp Rnds.   Avg.            

Aaron Watkins Sr-3L   31     73.35

Matt Van Cleave   Jr-1L  31   73.87

A.J. Elgert       Sr-3L    28     74.53

Tim Moody      Sr-1L   20     74.70

Ben Kern         So-1L  23     73.26

Setting the Scene

The No. 35 Kansas State men’s golf team is making its second consecutive NCAA Central Regional appearance and third all time. The regional, hosted by Purdue, will be contested at the Kampen Course of the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex  in West Lafayette, Ind. The Central Regional is one of three regional locations that will decide the field for the NCAA Championships held June 1-4 in Hot Springs, Va. This is the second appearance of the season for the Wildcats at the Kampen Course, after participating in the Boilermaker Invitational, April 10-11. The Wildcats didn’t fair so well in the Boilermaker Invitational, finishing in 12th with a team score of 300-289-300889 (+25).

K-State in Regional Play

This is K-State’s third bid to the NCAA Central Regional since the NCAA adopted regional play in 1989.

2003

Last season, K-State missed qualifying for its first NCAA Championships by one stroke at the school’s first regional appearance since 1993. K-State entered the Central Regional ranked 26 out of 27 teams, but finished in 11th. The regional was played on K-State’s home course at Colbert Hills. K-State carded the best final round of the tournament at 8-under 280 and finished with a team score of 287-305-280872 (+8). Greg Douglas led the way for K-State with a 68-81-68217 to tie for 33rd.

2003 NCAA Central Regional

Colbert Hills - Manhattan, Kan.

Par: 72; Yardage: 7,525

Final Team Standings

1.  Oklahoma State        285      289      282      856

2.  Illinois   275      295      291      861

3.  North Carolina State  283      289      290      862

4.  North Carolina 283      289      290      862

    Texas   285      298      284      867

6.  Kentucky         280      301      288      869

7.  SMU    277      301      288      869

    Minnesota        287      297      286      870

    Arkansas          286      292      292      870

10. Wichita State    290      287      294      871

11. Kansas State    287      305      280      872

12. Texas Tech       296      293      285      874

13. Lamar  285      304      286      875

14. Toledo 295      301      280      876

    Ohio State        293      293      290      876

16. TCU    287      300      290      877

17. Kent State        291      295      293      879

    North Texas     285      303      291      879

19. Kansas 295      298      288      881

20. Oklahoma        292      296      294      882

    Michigan State  289      300      293      882

22. Northwestern   287      308      289      884

23. Tulsa    291      299      297      887

    Wright State     297      297      293      887

    Texas A&M     296      297      294      887

26. Missouri           298      300      290      888

27. Baylor  289      313      291      893

Individual Top 5

1. *Brett Callas, Houston  71        69        67        207

2.  Patrick Nagle, Illinois    67        72        69        208

t3. Judd Easterling, WSU   69        68        72        209

    J.J. Wall, Texas           70        73        66        209

t5. Hunter Mahan, OSU    71        71        68        210

    Jason Moon, NC State 66        71        73        210

    Chris Stroud, Lamar     69        71        70        210

Kansas State Scores

t33. Greg Douglas   68        81        68        217

t48. Aaron Watkins 74        77        69        220

t48. Matt Van Cleave          72        77        71        220

t85. Josh Persons    76        76        72        224

t102.A.J. Elgert           73        75        78        226

* Denotes individual competitor

1993

At K-State’s first-ever regional appearance, the Wildcats finished 21st out of 21 teams in the event played in Columbus, Ohio. K-State fired a 318-313-312943. Jim Brenneman paced the the Wildcats with a  77-76-78222 to tie for 73rd.

Kansas State Scores

t73. Jim Brenneman      77        76        78        231

t81. Richard Laing   78        75        80        233

t97. Chad Judd        79        82        76        237

t109.Sean Robertson   84        80        81        245

t111.Brett Waldman    88        87        78        253

Last Time Out

Kansas State had three players finish among the top 15 individuals and the Wildcats combined to shoot a team total of 881 to finish fourth at the 2004 Big 12 Men’s Golf Championships held at the par-70, 6,596-yard Prairie Dunes Country Club. It was the best Big 12 finish ever for K-State, which has climbed consistently at the league championship under the guidance of seventh-year head coach Tim Norris, and the best finish by the Wildcats since taking fourth at the 1969 Big Eight Championships. K-State was led by Senior Aaron Watkins, who carded a 216 (+6) to tie for sixth. Junior Matt Van Cleave finished ninth at 9-over 219. Senior A.J. Elgert tied for 13th at 221 (+11). Texas won the team title for the third straight year, while Texas’ Jason Hartwick captured medalist honors.

2004 Big 12 Men’s Golf Championship

Hutchinson, Kan.

Prairie Dunes Country Club

6,596 yards, par 70

April 26-27

Final Team Results

1. Texas        287      290      287      864

2. Oklahoma    295      292      283      870

3. Oklahoma State  292      285      296      873

4. Kansas State    290      289      302      881

T5. Colorado   295      301      297      893

T5. Kansas       291      301      301      893

T5. Texas Tech     294      303      296      893

8. Iowa State    296      298      300      894

9. Baylor          299      297      299      895

10. Texas A&M      304      305      295      904

11. Missouri     299      301      320      920

12. Nebraska   314      299      313      926

Individual Top 10

1 Jason Hartwick, Texas         70        66        68        204

2 Anthony Kim, Oklahoma       76        70        67        213

T3 Farren Keenan, Texas         71        73        70        214

T3 Alex Noren, Oklahoma State    71        68        75        214

5 Ryan Baca, Baylor     71        73        71        215

T6 Blake Martin, Oklahoma     70        74        72        216

T6 Aaron Watkins, Kansas State   70        71        75        216

8 Casey Wittenberg, OSU        73        73        71        217

T9 Oscar Floren, Texas Tech   70        74        75        219

T9 Matt Van Cleave, Kansas State 76        70        73        219

K-State Scores

t6. Aaron Watkins        70        71        75        216

t9. Matt Van Cleave     76        70        73        219

t13. A.J. Elgert 69        74        78        221

t36. Tim Moody           75        74        78        227

t40. Ben Kern  77        75        76        228

Norris in the Big 12

Since head coach Tim Norris took the reins prior to the 1997-98 season, the Wildcats have made a steady climb up the Big 12 standings. In Norris’ first season, K-State finished last in the Big 12, but have since either equalled or improved with every season. The pinnacle of K-State’s finishes in the Big 12 came this season, when K-State finished in fourth.

K-State in the Big 12

Year     Finish   Score              

1997    7th       917     

1998    12th     967     

1999    10th     910     

2000    10th     905     

2001    8th       941     

2002    7th       885     

2003    T6th     927

2004    4th       881

Going Kampen

The par-72 course opened in 1998 will play to 7,259 yards. Kampen features bent-grass tees, greens and fairways. The Kampen course has hosted multiple prestigious events in its short history including: two Big Ten Championships and the 2003 NCAA Women’s Golf Championships.

A Second Chance at Kampen Golf Course

Just a little over a month ago, K-State got a sneak peek at the Kampen Course as they took part in the Boilermaker Invitational. It gave the Wildcats the rare opportunity of playing a regional course in a regular season event. The Wildcats didn’t fare so well in the Boilermaker Invitational, finishing in 12th with a 889 (+25), but should have a leg up on most teams with their experience at the course.

Norris on the Regional

On going back to the site of K-State’s toughest tournament of the year...

“I like going back after not playing as well the first time. I think we learned a lot and that is why we went there. I feel much better going there now  knowing that there is room for improvement then if we had gone there and played the best we could have played.”

On the competition at the regional level...

“If we go and play well, we’ve got a chance to compete. If we under perform at this level of competition, we’re going to come out on the short end of the stick.”

All-Big 12, Again

For the second straight year Aaron Watkins was named to the All-Big 12 Men’s Golf Team. Last year, Watkins made history, becoming the first K-State golfer selected to the All-Big 12 Conference team. Watkins is just one of three golfers on the 10-man team to be selected to both the 2003 and 2004 squads. The league’s 2004 Player of the Year and Tournament Champion Jason Hartwick earned All-Big 12 honors for the fourth consecutive year, while Baylor’s Ryan Baca was named to the team for the second straight year.

Classroom Champions

The Wildcats had three student-athletes selected to the 2004 All-Big 12 Academic Team. Senior Tim Moody and junior Matt Van Cleave earned first-team honors, while senior Greg Douglas garnered second-team honors. Douglas was tabbed as a first-team academic All-Big 12 selection last season.

The Lineup

K-State has used five different lineups over the course of the season and have experienced varying levels of success with each. For the third time this season and second straight event, the Wildcats will use a lineup comprised of Aaron Watkins, Matt Van Cleave, A.J. Elgert, Tim Moody and Ben Kern. This is the same lineup the Wildcats used at the Big 12 Championships. The other time K-State used this lineup was when the Wildcats  concluded the fall season at the Duke Classic and finished in fifth in the 15-team field.

Douglas, Elgert, Persons, Van Cleave, Watkins

Date     Event    Score   Finish

9/12-13      Badger Inv.      294-294588 2nd/9

9/20-21      Inverness        299-303-294896  2nd/15

9/29-30      Jim Colbert      300-286586 3rd/8

Elgert, Kern, Persons, Van Cleave, Watkins

10/6-7  Purina   277-268-285830  1st/9

3/8-9    Jim Hackler      303-302-291896  T7th/19

3/29-30      Stevinson        286-281-294861  2nd/14

4/10-11      Boilermaker      300-289-300889  12/18

Elgert, Kern, Moody, Van Cleave, Watkins

10/19-20     Duke    294-290-298882  5th/15

4/26-27      Big 12  290-289-302881  4th/12

Douglas, Elgert, Moody, Van Cleave, Watkins

2/16-17      Matlock          297-289-296882  5th/15

Kern, Moody, Persons, Van Cleave, Watkins

4/17-18      Kepler  297-303-307907  10th/18

The Field

Of the 27 teams in the NCAA Central Regional, 20 are ranked among the top 50 teams in the Golfweek/Sagarin poll released May 9th. Nine of 27 teams are from the Big 12 Conference, and they are all seeded in the top 15. The Big Ten has the second-most representatives with five. The regional boasts three programs in the top 10, with Oklahoma State No. 8, Texas No. 9 and TCU No. 10. The other ranked teams are No. 13 Minnesota, No. 17 Oklahoma, No. 22 Kentucky, No. 23 Arkansas, No. 25 Kansas, No. 31. Tulsa, No. 32 Colorado, No. 33 SMU, No. 35 K-State, No. 36 Texas Tech, No. 39 Illinois, No. 40 Indiana, No. 41 Baylor, No. 45 Ohio State, No. 46 Wichita State, No. 47 Texas A&M and No. 50 Kent State. K-State holds a record of 16-22 against the field. Only four schools (Jackson State, Princeton, SMU and Western Illinois) haven’t been in a tournament with the Wildcats this season.

Tournament Pairings

First Round - Thursday, May 20

1st Tee

12:45p.m.-1:21p.m.

#13 K-State, #14 Baylor, #15 Texas A&M

Second Round - Friday, May 21

10th Tee

8:42 a.m.-9:18 a.m.

#13 K-State, #14 Baylor, #15 Texas A&M

Final Round - Saturday, May 22

Morning Groups: 7:12 a.m.-9:18 a.m.

                        Standings 16-27

Afternoon Groups: 11:51 a.m. -1:12 p.m.

                        Standings 1-15 + Individual Qualifiers

The pairings for the final round will be based on team standings through 36 holes.

Wildcat Stalwart

Senior Aaron Watkins will be making his 29th straight appearance in the Wildcats’ lineup Thursday at the Central Regional. The last tournament Watkins wasn’t a part of was the 2002 Branson Creek Invitational. Watkins has started 47 of the 49 tournaments the Wildcats have participated in since his arrival in the Fall of 2000. The only other tournament he wasn’t in the starting five for was the very first tournament during the fall of his freshman year (2000), but he still participated as an individual. Watkins is the only Wildcat to be playing in his third straight regional.

Follow the Wildcats

Like at the Big 12 Championships, live scoring will be available at www.golfstat.com, so you can follow the Wildcats and their quest for their first appearance at the NCAA Championships. All three regionals will have live scoring.

K-State vs. D-I Opponents

Overall 92-40-1 (.697)

Big 12  18-8 (.692)

Top 25 7-12-1 (.368)

Top 50 18-28-1(.391)

Golfweek/Sagarin Poll Watching

Highest Position

Date     Rank

9-21     9

Lowest Position

4-22     37

Current Position

5-9             35

Head-To-Head With the Field (16-22)

Arkansas         0-1

Baylor  1-0

Colorado         2-1

Illinois   1-3

Indiana 0-2

Jackson State   0-0

Kansas 1-1

Kentucky         0-1

Kent State       1-2

Lamar  1-0

Minnesota        1-0

Notre Dame     2-0

Ohio State       0-2

Oklahoma        1-1

Oklahoma State   0-1

Princeton        0-0

Purdue 1-2

SMU    0-0

TCU    0-1

Texas   1-0

Texas A&M     1-0

Texas Tech       2-0

Tulsa    0-1

Western Illinois 0-0

Wichita State    1-0

Xavier  0-1

Conference Call

Big 12  9

Big Ten          5

SEC     2

WAC   2

Atlantic 10      1

Big East         1

Conference USA   1

Ivy       1

MAC   1

Mid-Continent  1

Missouri Valley 1

Southland        1

SWAC 1

Kansas State Men’s Golf

Central Regional Tournament History

1993

Ohio State Scarlet Course/Columbus, Ohio

Team - 21st (943)

Top Ind. - Jim Brenneman - T73rd (231)

1995*

Bentwater C.C./Montgomery, Texas

Scott Hovis - T 36th (222)

2002*

Pleasant Valley Country Club/Little Rock, Ark.

Aaron Watkins - T 85th (229)

2003

Colbert Hills/Manhattan, Kan.

Team - 11th (876)

Top Ind. - Greg Douglas - T 33rd (217)

*Denotes Individual Qualifier Only