FORT COLLINS, COLO. – Coach
Judd Easterling isn't quite ready to invest in time shares, but his Wichita State men's golf team will be spending plenty of time in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado over the next two-and-a-half weeks.
The Shockers tee it up Monday and Tuesday at the Ram Masters Invitational in Fort Collins – the first of three-consecutive tournaments in the Denver area. Colorado's Mark Simpson Invitational (Sep. 27-28) and Denver's Paint Brush Invitational (Oct. 4-5) follow.
"We're on the same direct flight the next three Saturdays and on the same return flight the next three Tuesdays," Easterling said. "It's relatively easy travel. We get back at a decent hour, they're easy courses to walk and all three are good events."
WSU has a trio of freshmen in its lineup this week, two of whom will be making their collegiate debuts. True freshman Lucas Sheufler (who tied for 21
st in last week's opener at Colbert Hills) will be joined by
Max Wojciechowski (a redshirt freshman from Berlin, Germany) and
Adam Balatka (a true freshman from the Czech Republic).
By contrast, super juniors
Brock Polhill and
Dawson Lewis each make their fourth appearances at Fort Collins Country Club.
Easterling thinks the course sets up for all five Shockers.
"It's similar to Wichita Country Club, where we've played about once a week since school started," he explained. "The only difference is the grass. It's tree-lined. It has some hard holes. It has some holes that you can birdie. I think the guys should feel comfortable there."
The Ram Masters took a one-year hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but is back for a ninth installment. WSU won the inaugural event in 2012 and is one of five schools that have competed in every year (along with CSU, Denver, Northern Colorado and Wyoming). Host CSU has won each of the last six times out.
The field of 16 teams will play 36 holes on Monday and the final 18 on Tuesday. Fans can follow live scoring via golfstat.
Shocker golfers will be paired with Air Force on Monday and are scheduled to tee off from holes 4 and 5, beginning at 9 a.m. CT.
Ram Masters Invitational Fast Facts:
Dates: Monday-Tuesday, Sep. 20-21, 2021
Host: Colorado State
Location: Fort Collins, Colo. (Fort Collins Country Club)
Yardage: 7,218 Yard
Par: 70
Format: 54 Holes (36 Monday, 18 Tuesday)
Start Times: Round 1 (9 a.m. CT; Shotgun), Round 3 (Tee Times from 9-11 a.m. CT from holes 1 & 10).
Live Scoring: golfstatresults.com
The Field: 16 teams
Air Force, Cal State Fullerton, Colorado State, Creighton, Grand Canyon, Illinois State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, Pacific, Sacramento State, South Dakota, UC San Diego, Utah State, Utah Valley, Wichita State, Wyoming (and individuals from Colorado).
Shocker Lineup:
Brock Polhill (Jr.*) – Second career top-10 finish last week (-1, 5
th-place).
Dawson Lewis (Jr.*) – Top returner from 2021 (74.7 avg.)… Tied for 28
th at Wildcat Inv.
Lucas Sheufler (Fr.) – Wichita Trinity graduate tied for 21
st in his collegiate debut.
Adam Balatka (Fr.) – Shocker debut.
Max Wojciechowski (R-Fr.) – Competes for the first time after redshirting last spring.
*=Reflects extra year of eligibility from COVID-19 season.
Head Coach Judd Easterling on….
… Polhill's fifth-place finish at the Wildcat Invitational:
"Brock had a really good summer. He made it the finals of the Kansas Amateur. He set the tone in (intersquad) qualifying, winning by 11 shots. And he went out there and played (at Colbert Hills) just like he had been in qualifying.
… Having three freshmen in this week's lineup:
"I'm super-excited to have three freshmen make the lineup. These are guys who have earned spots. I really believe that Brock and Dawson will help those guys on the road with how we travel and how we compete."
… Scheufler's debut:
"Luke's a grinder. He's going to compete for all 54 holes. He hits it really well. He putts it well. He's going to be a really good player for us."
