K-State Tied for 10th After 36 Holes of NCAA Regional Play

K-State Tied for 10th After 36 Holes of NCAA Regional Play

West Lafayette, Ind. - Kansas State fought an up-hill battle Friday in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Central Regional and fell from sixth place into a tie with Minnesota for 10th with 18 holes remaining Saturday. K-State started the second round in good shape, as Tim Moody birdied the 10th hole to start his day and pushed the Wildcats to 11-over before the sky opened up and delayed play for 55 minutes due to lightning and rain. When the Wildcats resumed play, they weren’t the same team that had sprinted out of the gate and into sixth place after round one. Fresh off the delay, the Wildcats managed to work around a forgettable first nine holes, where three of the five Wildcats carded their worst nine-hole scores of the tournament. The Wildcats finished the back nine strong with no golfers shooting more than 2-over and allowed K-State to creep back into it with a 17-over par 305 for a team score of 605.

“The way these guys played the final nine holes is the difference for us having a shot tomorrow,” head coach Tim Norris said. “I’m really proud of the way they hung in there today. To me, that shows you what its all about.”

Already facing the daunting task of avoiding the eight-inch rough located just three feet from the greens at the par-72, 7,259-yard Kampen Course of the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex located on the Purdue University campus, the Wildcats worked around a 14-over par front nine to finish the back nine at just 3-over par.

“It was a great effort by all of the guys,” Norris said. “There are some tough holes on the front nine and the back nine, but with the rough this high, it doesn’t take much have guys scrambling to make a bogey or double bogey.”

No. 21 Kentucky shot a tournament low 3-under 285 to take the outright lead at 7-over 583, two strokes ahead of second-place Oklahoma State. No. 9 Texas is in third after carding an 8-over 296 for a 36-hole total of 594. Playing in K-State’s group, Texas A&M continued its success and fired a 303 to place them in fourth with a score of 595 heading into the final round. Rounding out the top five is host school Purdue, who shot a 302 for the day and have a team score of 597 All 27 teams are vying for 10 available spots in the NCAA Championships June 1-4 in Hot Springs, Va.

Kentucky’s Brandon Waldrop matched his first-round 70 to take a two-stroke lead at 4-under 140, two shots in front of Big 12 medalist Jason Hartwick of Texas, who fired a 1-over 73 today to go along with his opening round of 69. There is a three-way tie for third place at 1-under between Oklahoma State’s Casey Wittenberg, Texas A&M’s Andrew Parr and Kentucky’s John Holmes.

Senior A.J. Elgert is in a tie for 27th at 148 after firing a 4-over 76. Elgert, who began the day tied for 10th at even par, fought back from his worst nine holes of the tournament (+3) to shoot a 1-over 37 on the back nine.

Sophomore Ben Kern, who like Elgert, began the day tied for 10th after an opening round 72, rebounded from a 6-over 42 on the front nine to card a 1-under 35 on the back. He birdied two of the final three holes and entered the clubhouse in tie for 27th after a round of 77 and a 36-hole total of 149.

Senior Aaron Watkins had the best round of the day for the Wildcats as he shot a 3-over 75 to give him a 36-hole total of 153. Watkins is currently in a tie for 51st. Senior Tim Moody fired a 5-over 77 and is in a tie for 70th at 155. Junior Matt Van Cleave rounded out the Wildcats’ lineup with a 79 and is tied for 100th at 159.

The Wildcats continue play at the NCAA Central Regional Saturday and tee off at 8:15 a.m. with Minnesota and Kent State. Live scoring for the final round of competition can be found at www.golfstat.com. For complete results, please visit Kansas State’s website at www.kstatesports.com.

Men’s Collegiate Golf
NCAA Men’s Central Regional
West Lafayette, Ind.
Kampen Golf Course
Par:72; Yardage: 7,259

Team Scores: 1. Kentucky 298-285583; 2. Oklahoma State 287-298585; 3. Texas 298-296594; 4. Texas A&M 292-303595; 5. Purdue 295-302597; 6. Oklahoma 305-294599; 7. SMU 302-299601; T8. TCU 305-297602; T8. Wichita State 302-300602; T10. Kansas State 300-305605; T10. Minnesota 302-303605; 12. Kent State 301-305606; 13. Notre Dame 310-297607; 14. Colorado 304-307611; 15. Ohio State 302-310612; 16. Texas Tech 317-296613; 17. Indiana 306-308614; 18. Kansas 315-300615; 19. Tulsa 314-306620; 20. Arkansas 314-307621; 21. Lamar 309-313622; 22. Xavier 312-316628; 23. Illinois 309-320629; 24. Baylor 321-317638; 25. Princeton 323-318641; 26. Western Illinois 323-323646; 27. Jackson State 333-337670.

Top Individuals: 1. Brian Waldrop, (Kentucky) 70-70140; 2. Jason Hartwick, (Texas) 69-73142; T3. Andrew Parr, (Texas A&M) 69-74143; T3. Casey Wittenberg, (Oklahoma State, 69-74143; T3. John Holmes, (Kentucky) 73-70143.

Wildcat Individuals: T19. A.J. Elgert, 72-76148; T27. Ben Kern, 72-77149; T51. Aaron Watkins, 78-75153; T70. Tim Moody, 78-77155; T100. Matt Van Cleave, 80-79159.