Ball State University Athletics

Photo by: Samantha Blankenship/Ball State University
Gilmore and Harris Lead Ball State on Day 1 of MAC Men's Golf Championship
May 03, 2026 | Men's Golf
ZIONSVILLE, Ind. -- Happy Gilmore and Samuel Harris sit in a 12th-place tie through one round of the 2026 Mid-American Conference Men's Golf Championship, leading Ball State among nine MAC schools competing at Holliday Farms Golf Club.
Harris, playing in the the Cardinals' top lineup position, and Gilmore, playing in the No. 5 position, both finished 4-over par on the par-71, 7,349-yard track located just 45 minutes from Ball State's campus. But they completed their 75 strokes in different fashions. Harris bogeyed his first three holes on Sunday morning, and four of his first six, before recovering to fire a pair of birdies and shoot par over the last 12 holes. With his second birdie on the 15th hole, Harris shot 1-under par (34) on the back nine. Gilmore, meanwhile, shot birdie on his first two holes to take an early lead on the Cardinals' leaderboard. He was 1-over par on his opening nine holes, but a double-bogey on the 18th hole resulted in a 3-over 38 on his back nine.
Overall, the sixth-seeded Cardinals landed in seventh place after the opening day of competition. Avery Mahoney (78) finished 7-over par, Carter Smith (80) was two strokes behind and Aidan Gutierrez (81) finished at +10.
Hosted by Central Michigan, round two of the MAC Championships starts at 9 a.m., Monday morning.
Harris, playing in the the Cardinals' top lineup position, and Gilmore, playing in the No. 5 position, both finished 4-over par on the par-71, 7,349-yard track located just 45 minutes from Ball State's campus. But they completed their 75 strokes in different fashions. Harris bogeyed his first three holes on Sunday morning, and four of his first six, before recovering to fire a pair of birdies and shoot par over the last 12 holes. With his second birdie on the 15th hole, Harris shot 1-under par (34) on the back nine. Gilmore, meanwhile, shot birdie on his first two holes to take an early lead on the Cardinals' leaderboard. He was 1-over par on his opening nine holes, but a double-bogey on the 18th hole resulted in a 3-over 38 on his back nine.
Overall, the sixth-seeded Cardinals landed in seventh place after the opening day of competition. Avery Mahoney (78) finished 7-over par, Carter Smith (80) was two strokes behind and Aidan Gutierrez (81) finished at +10.
Hosted by Central Michigan, round two of the MAC Championships starts at 9 a.m., Monday morning.
Players Mentioned
Sports Link // Cardinal Conversations with Carter Smith & Jeff Mitchell
Tuesday, March 17
Heart of the Cardinal Podcast // Guests: Mike Fleck and Alauna Simms
Monday, December 15
Heart of the Cardinal Podcast // Mike Fleck on Program Approach
Saturday, December 13
Sports Link: International Student Athlete Day
Monday, November 17











