MAC Men’s Golfer of the Week
Samuel Harris, Ball State, Freshman, Charlestown, Ind. 
Event: Golfweek Fall Challenge
Individual Finish: 2nd | Team Finish: 3rd
Score: 68-67-69---204    
Ball State's biggest headline at the Golfweek Fall Challenge was that freshman Samuel Harris finished second out of 75 golfers overall, finishing at -12 over 54 holes, to match the second-best individual effort relative to par in program history.
 
Harris (68-67-69--204) was in contention for the individual crown on all three days of the tournament, beginning tied for fourth with eventual champion Harrison Sewell of Georgia Southern after 18 holes. Sewell took the lead ahead of Western Carolina's Tyler Jones on day two, with Harris also passing Jones and setting up a 1-2-3 final round with each of them separated by a single stroke. In the final round, Harris appeared poised for the title, in fact leading the event through 15 holes while moving two strokes ahead of Sewell. He shot eagle on a par-5 fourth hole, and with birdies on holes #6, #9, #12 and #15, the youngster from Charlestown, Indiana, was settled into the driver's seat with three holes to play. Only then, did the freshman played like a freshman, and for just two holes. After just two bogeys over his first 52 holes, Harris bogeyed the par-4 17th hole, then double-bogeyed the par-4 18th. Sewell (68-66-68--202), playing in the group behind Harris, shot birdie on #17, with par on the 16th and 18th holes, to secure a late, two-stroke victory.
 
Harris just missed capturing the first Ball State individual title by a freshman since teammate Carter Smith won Butler University's Don Benbow Invitational in March of 2023. He shot birdie or eagle on 16 of 54 holes overall, while leading the Cardinals to a -26 tournament finish over 54 holes to tie a program record. Ball State's final team round (-14) was its second-best ever, relative to par.