TOLEDO, Ohio - The Kansas State men’s golf team carded the fourth-lowest team score (299) of the final round and moved up one place to finish ninth at the 13-team Inverness Intercollegiat Invitational. K-State fired a 54-hole team score of 907 in its third straight appearance at the Inverness Intercollegiate Invitational held in Toledo, Ohio.

“The guys got a little bit more comfortable with the course,” head coach Tim Norris said. “Matt (Van Cleave) played pretty well, while Ben played a pretty solid round. The others are still trying to get adjusted. Their games are off just enough right now. I think these guys are going to get better and better. They are playing nowhere near what they are capable of.”

The young Wildcat squad improved their team score everyday at the challenging par-71, 7,255-yard Inverness Club. Matt Van Cleave is the lone Wildcat to have ever played at the Inverness Club before this
weekend. Van Cleave played a key role in the Wildcats’ third-place finish two years ago and second-place finish last year at the Inverness Intercollegiate Invitational.

Just as he did last season at the Inverness Intercollegiate Invitational, Van Cleave tied for eighth. The senior co-captain saved his best for last by carding a final-round 71 and finished with a 74-75-71220. The top-10 finish is Van Cleave’s eighth of his career.

Junior co-captain Ben Kern carded a final round 73 and finished with a 79-72-73224 to tie for 19th. It is Ben’s sixth career top-20 finish and first since tying for second at the 2004 Stevinson Ranch Invitational held March 29-30.

Playing in his first collegiate tournament, freshman Clay Hodge played consistently to finish with a 76-76-77229 and tied for 36th. Junior Jonathan James, who redshirted last season, tied for 47th with a 79-77-78234. Rounding out the lineup, junior college transfer Tyler Cummins tied for 62nd at 240.

Kentucky overtook Michigan State in the final round to win the tournament with a final team score of 877, eight strokes clear of Michigan State. Kentucky’s John Holmes held on to capture medalist honors with an even-par 213, one-stroke ahead of Peter Laws of Kent State.

The Wildcats will resume play Sept. 20-21 at the KU Invitational in Lawrence. For complete results, please visit Kansas State’s website at www.kstatesports.com.

Men’s Collegiate Golf
Inverness Intercollegiate Invitational
Toledo, Ohio
The Inverness
Par:71; Yardage: 7,255

Team Scores: 1.Kentucky, 296-289-292877; 2. Michigan State,
294-287-304885; T3. Kent State, 294-291-301886; T3. Georgia Southern,
304-289-293886; T5. Notre Dame, 294-300-300894; T5. Central Florida,
303-292-299894; 7.Illinois, 296-303-301900; 8.Toledo,
307-293-304904; 9. Kansas State, 308-300608; 10. Northwestern,
311-303-295909; 11. Augusta State, 305-301-308914;
12.Alabama-Birmingham, 304-304-310918; 13. Eastern Michigan,
319-302-301922.

Top Individuals: 1.John Holmes, (Kentucky) 74-65-74213 (E); 2. Peter
Laws, (Kent State) 71-71-72214 (+1); 3. Mark Blakefield, (Kentucky)
73-71-71215 (+2); 4. Aron Price, (Ga. Southern) 76-70-70216 (+3); T5.
Brandon Waldrop, (Kentucky) 74-73-71218 (+5); T5. Tyler Riley (Toledo)
77-69-72218 (+5); T5. Andrew Ruthkoski (Michigan State) 70-71-77218
(+5).

Wildcat Individuals: T8. Matt Van Cleave, 74-75-71220 (+7); T19. Ben
Kern, 79-72-73224 (+11); T36. Clay Hodge, 76-76-77229 (+16); T47.
Jonathan James, 79-77-78234 (+21); T62. Tyler Cummins, 84-77-79240
(+27).