Now Joe Ida can just focus on golf.
Well, actually most of Ida's focus might have been there anyway.
"It's always a challenge playing a sport and going to school," Ida said. "I try to split the time up. I'd probably say I do a little more golf than I do studying around this time.
"
But the Kansas State sophomore wrapped up another school year Tuesday when he finished his last final and joined the rest of the Wildcats on their trek to Bremerton, Wash. for the NCAA Men's Golf West Regional at Gold Mountain Golf Club.
The Cats tee off at 9:47 a.m. (local time) Thursday and will be making their fifth postseason appearance over the last six years.
K-State is seeded 23rd in the 27-team regional — a 54-hole, three-day tournament — but don't want to be satisfied with just being there.
"It's a good accomplishment to go but you don't want to just go, you want to try to advance,
" KSU coach Tim Norris said. "We're obviously going to have to play better than our seed, but I think we're capable of it.
"
The Wildcats are in the same region as the top three and four teams in the nation, Southern California and UCLA and will be playing on a par-72 Olympic Course.
But after having arguably the best season in school history, the squad said it won't be intimidated.
"More than being nervous I'm just excited to go play,
" Ida said. "I've played in enough tournaments now that it doesn't take me much as time to get accustomed to the situation. I just need to start playing well right from the get-go and not let nerves get in the way.
"
Ida, who has a stroke average of 72.95, will lead the way for the five K-State golfers. Fellow sophomore Mitchell Gregson will also make the trip with a 72.86 stroke average — the third lowest single-season stroke average in school history.
Junior Robert Streb, who advanced national championship as an individual in 2006, goes into the tournament with a 74.38.
"Joe and Mitch have been the rocks and Robert is kind of the difference maker,
" Norris said. "If Robert gets going on his game like I know he can, he'll be right there in the thick of it.
"
Freshman Daniel Wood enters with a 75.88 average and senior Kyle Yonke with a 75.57 average will be playing in his third regional tournament.
As for going to a new course, Norris said that might not be a bad thing.
"I like the course that we're going to simply because we haven't played it before so we'll have to do what we can in the practice round,
" he said. "I'm hopeful that not being too familiar with it will be more of an asset. ... Our guys are looking forward to a golf course that they haven't seen before, it's a different part of the country, and I think all of the guys are excited about that.
"
After tearing through the regular season with eight top five finishes, including its first win in more than four years, K-State stumbled at the Big 12 Championship two weeks ago.
The Cats led after nine holes but eventually dropped to eighth and finished 50 strokes over par.
However, Ida says that one tournament can't hinder what the team has done and still plans to do.
"Rather than think about what went wrong we're thinking about all the things that we did right this year,
" he said."Everybody's just really excited to get going. It's not going to be too tough for us to get ready for this situation and play well.
"
