MANHATTAN, Kan. -  After carding the school’s third lowest 54-hole team score of 852 last weekend at the Wolverine Intercollegiate, the Kansas State men’s golf team starts a three-tournament tear through the month of October, starting Monday, Oct. 3rd, at the Memphis Intercollegiate. The tournament tees off with an 8 a.m. CT shotgun start to rounds one and two Monday, with the same start time to the final round Tuesday. Live stats will not be available for the Memphis Intercollegiate. Results will be posted both days on www.k-statesports.com as soon as they are available.

THE COURSE: The par-72, 6,991-yard south course of the Colonial Country Club plays host to the Memphis Intercollegiate. For more information on the Colonial Country Club, please visit www.colonialcountryclub.org.

THE FIELD (15): Arkansas-Little Rock, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Marshall, Michigan, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Penn State, South Alabama, South Florida, Southern Miss, Tulane, Wisconsin.

LAST TIME OUT:  K-State recorded its third-lowest 54-hole team score as the Wildcats fired a combined score of 852 on the way to a fourth-place finish at the Wolverine Intercollegiate. For the second-straight tournament, Ben Kern paced the Wildcats, firing a 68-68-73209 (-4) to tie for eighth. After a 55th-place finish in the first tournament of the season, Tyler Cummins rebounded, carding a 72-72-68212 (-1), to tie for 13th. Robert Streb tied for 35th for the second consecutive tournament, carding a five-over 218. Kyle Yonke and Joe Kinney rounded out the Wildcat participants, firing an eight-over 221 (tie for 50th), and a nine-over 222 (tied for 56th), repectively.

KERN OFF TO QUICKEST START IN SCHOOL HISTORY:  Prior to last weekend’s tournament, Ben Kern was ranked the third-best golfer in the country, according to GolfWeek. Kern’s stroke average of 69 thus far this season is 5.5 strokes better than what he registered during the first two tournaments of last year. Kern has fired five rounds of sub-70 golf during his first six rounds this season. Sub-70 scores to start the season are a rarity in K-State history. In fact, no golfer has shot more sub-70 scores during the first two tournaments than Kern. The last player to even shoot one sub-70 round during the first two tournaments was Aaron Watkins, who shot a 69 during the third round of the second tournament in 2003 (Inverness Intercollegiate).

UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY ONCE AGAIN FOR K-STATE:  The trip next week to Tennessee is only the second tournament K-State has ever played in the Volunteer State. The only other time was the third tournament of the season last year, the Mason Rudolph in Nashville. Six of the 14 opponents are foes the Wildcats haven’t seen either this year or last year (Arkansas-Little Rock, Iowa, Mississippi State, South Alabama, Southern Miss, and Tulane). Of the other seven oppoents, K-State has amassed an 8-5-1 (.571) record against those teams either last year or during the first two tournaments thus far in the fall portion of the schedule.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:  Senior Jonathan James will be getting his first action this season, competing as an individual at the Memphis Intercollegiate. The Keller, Texas, native, redshirted during the 2003-04 season, and came back last year to compete in nine events, recording a stroke average of 76.55. His best tournament last year was at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational, Oct. 11-12, when he carded a three-over, 216, to tie for 14th.

K-State’s Memphis Intercollegiate  Lineup

Name                               Yr-Exp     Hometown                Rounds      Stroke  Avg.

Ben Kern                            Sr.-3L     Tucson, Ariz.                    6                   69.00

Tyler Cummins                    Sr.-1L     Olathe, Kan.                      6                   73.50

Robert Streb                       Fr.-HS     Edmond, Okla.                   6                   73.50

Kyle Yonke                        So.-1L     Lubbock, Texas                6                   75.50

Joe Kinney                         Fr.-HS     Antioch, Ill.                        3                   74.00

Jonathan James*                Sr.-3L     Keller, Texas                    --                     --

* Denotes playing as an individual