After transferring to Wichita State, golfer Kate Tilma set for WAPT’s Heritage Classic
When it was time to decide where to continue her collegiate golf career, returning home to Wichita State was an easy decision for Wichita native Kate Tilma.
The Shocker connections in her family tree run deep: her father, Tommy, was on the 1989 national championship WSU baseball team; both of her grandfathers, Johnny Stevens and Tom Tilma, were also Shocker athletes. Her great grandfather, Nick Stevens, played football at WSU, while her cousin, Abby Stevens, played tennis.
After playing her freshman year at Kansas State, the 2022 Kapaun Mt. Carmel graduate said the opportunity to return home to represent her hometown team was too good to pass up.
“The girls and the coaches on the team were all super welcoming and I think it’s also a lot better fit for me,” Tilma said. “I’m a huge homebody, so being back home and being around people I’m familiar with is going to help me a lot I think.
“A lot of people in Wichita know my family for being part of Wichita State, so my dad was joking with me, ‘Don’t go putting a bad rap on my name.’”
The Tilma name is in safe hands with Kate, who became the first female golfer in Kansas history to complete the sweep of the Kansas Amateur and Kansas Junior Amateur in the same summer — three years ago at the age of 16.
Before she joins the Shockers, Tilma will take advantage of being back in Wichita and play in the Heritage Classic, a Women’s All Pro Tour event that kicked off Thursday at Rolling Hills Country Club.
In a luxury of playing at home, Tilma will have her mother, Cathy (formerly Stevens), a four-time Kansas Am champion, caddying for her this week.
“My goal is to just have fun,” Kate Tilma said. “Obviously I want to play well, but good or bad, I’m going to learn something either way. There’s going to be a ton of takeaways from this week. I’m going to focus on each shot and do the best I can and forget about the past and move on to the next shot.”
The Heritage Classic, named in honor of Rolling Hills serving as the birthplace of the LPGA, also marks the conclusion of the season-long points race in the WAPT. The top-five finishers in the season-long points race earn exemptions to Stage II of the LPGA Q-School.
Baylor graduate Gurleen Kaur jumped out to the early lead in Thursday’s round with an 8-under round of 64, highlighted by six birdies on the front-nine. Several of the golfers were still finishing their opening rounds by publication time on Thursday.
“It’s going to be a really cool tournament to play in,” Tilma said. “It’s nice being able to play with people who have gone through college and seeing what that next level is going to be like.”
