Photo by: Collin Phillips/Ball State Athletics
Men's Golf Hosts Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational This Weekend at Delaware Country Club
September 19, 2025 | Men's Golf
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Two weeks after a third-place finish at the Golfweek Fall Challenge in South Carolina, the Ball State men's golf team hosts its nearly annual Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational this weekend, at Delaware Country Club. The event features 14 schools this year, and a field of 77 student-athletes.
Ball State will send nine golfers into the field, led by a pair of freshmen, Samuel Harris and Luke Johnston, who have paced the Cardinals through their first two tournaments. In fact, the Cardinals' starting lineup features three freshman, a sophomore and a junior transfer. Leading four individual golfers for Ball State is senior Carter Smith who fired a course record at DCC during a qualifying round two weeks ago prior to the trip to South Carolina.
Harris has played six rounds during his short college career thus far, and following his second-place finish at True Blue Golf Club in Pawley's Island, S.C., two weeks ago, he was named the Mid-American Conference Golfer of the Week. Relative to par, his -12 scorecard over 54 holes at the Golfweek event matched the second-best finish in program history.
Similarly, Johnston finished tied for fourth in the same event, capped by seven birdies and a 6-under-par 66 that was Ball State's best score in the tournament. The Cardinals' final round score (-14) matched the second-best round in program history, relative to par, and their -26 over 54 holes tied a program record set last season at the White Sands Bahamas Invitational.
While Harris will play in the No. 1 position this weekend and Johnston at No. 2, returning sophomore Happy Gilmore posts in the No. 3 position followed by junior Cameron Young, a transfer from UIndy. Johnston's high school teammate, Brody Sorrell, plays at No. 5. In addition to Smith, Ball State individuals this weekend are Gavin Hare, Baylor transfer and former IHSAA state champion Aidan Gutierrez and returning junior Avery Mahoney.
The tournament features a shotgun start beginning at 9 a.m., both Saturday and Sunday. Participants will play 36 holes on Saturday with a final round on Sunday. Participating teams include Belmont, Butler, Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Dayton, Evansville, IU Indy, Northern Kentucky, Purdue Fort Wayne, Robert Morris, Southern Indiana and Wright State. Purdue has a pair of individuals that also will compete.
Ball State will send nine golfers into the field, led by a pair of freshmen, Samuel Harris and Luke Johnston, who have paced the Cardinals through their first two tournaments. In fact, the Cardinals' starting lineup features three freshman, a sophomore and a junior transfer. Leading four individual golfers for Ball State is senior Carter Smith who fired a course record at DCC during a qualifying round two weeks ago prior to the trip to South Carolina.
Harris has played six rounds during his short college career thus far, and following his second-place finish at True Blue Golf Club in Pawley's Island, S.C., two weeks ago, he was named the Mid-American Conference Golfer of the Week. Relative to par, his -12 scorecard over 54 holes at the Golfweek event matched the second-best finish in program history.
Similarly, Johnston finished tied for fourth in the same event, capped by seven birdies and a 6-under-par 66 that was Ball State's best score in the tournament. The Cardinals' final round score (-14) matched the second-best round in program history, relative to par, and their -26 over 54 holes tied a program record set last season at the White Sands Bahamas Invitational.
While Harris will play in the No. 1 position this weekend and Johnston at No. 2, returning sophomore Happy Gilmore posts in the No. 3 position followed by junior Cameron Young, a transfer from UIndy. Johnston's high school teammate, Brody Sorrell, plays at No. 5. In addition to Smith, Ball State individuals this weekend are Gavin Hare, Baylor transfer and former IHSAA state champion Aidan Gutierrez and returning junior Avery Mahoney.
The tournament features a shotgun start beginning at 9 a.m., both Saturday and Sunday. Participants will play 36 holes on Saturday with a final round on Sunday. Participating teams include Belmont, Butler, Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Dayton, Evansville, IU Indy, Northern Kentucky, Purdue Fort Wayne, Robert Morris, Southern Indiana and Wright State. Purdue has a pair of individuals that also will compete.
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