Men’s golf earns second in K-State Invitational

The North Dakota State University men’s golf team has been playing at an extremely high level as of late.

The Bison took second at the K-State Wildcat Invitational at Colbert Hills in Manhattan, KS. The Herd shot an even 864 to claim the runner-up position. The Kansas State University Wildcats won the event firing a 27-under-par 837.

NDSU shot a pair of two-under-par 286s to open the tournament. The final round four-over 292 kept the Herd from staying under par.

The Bison received 54 birdies in the tournament and ranked No. 1 on Par 3s, averaging 3.10 strokes. The Herd also ranked second in Par 4s and Par 5s.

The second-place finish comes just days after the Bison won their home tournament the NDSU Fall Invitational with a 19-under 557.

Junior Gavin Cronkhite led the Bison with a five-under 211 for fifth place. Cronkhite’s three-under-par final round advanced him to a Top 5 finish. He opened the tournament with an even 72 and a two-under 70 in the second.

Junior golfer Gavin Cronkhite | Photo Credit NDSU Athletics

The tournament performance was Cronkhite’s best outing of the season. He had no rounds that were over par.

Ian Simonich, who won the Herd’s last tournament along with teammate Nate Deziel, finished in 10th place with a one-under 215. The sophomore shot himself to one-under-par in the second round with a 70, after hitting a 73 to start the tournament. He parred out the last round.

Nate Adams, a junior, tied for 18th with a three-over 219. After putting up a pair of 71s, Adams’ five over-par final round dropped him down eight spots on the leaderboard.

Senior Deziel, who finished tied for 21st, couldn’t string together another dominant performance. He started off the tournament with a two-under 70, but a tough 76 and 74 put him at a four-over 220.

Brock Winter tied for 59th, he shot a 15-over 231 in the tournament. The junior finished with a seven-over 79 to start the tournament. Winter shot a 75 in the second, his best in the event, and closed with a five-over 77.

The Bison will get some well-needed rest after a busy schedule to open the season. The next event, the Zach Johnson Invitational at Glen Oaks Country Club in Des Moines, IA, is slated for Sept. 26-27.

The NDSU men’s golf fall season is starting to wind down, the Bison only have three more tournaments left in the fall.

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