Clarksville, TN – In his first season on the Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s golf team, junior Patton Samuels has qualified for the 2025 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship as an individual and will compete at the Urbana Regional, May 12th-14th, hosted by Illinois at Atkins Golf Club in Urbana, Illinois.
Samuels is one of 45 individuals to qualify for the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship and is one of three individuals from the Atlantic Sun Conference to qualify with Stetson’s Gaspar Glaudas – who won the ASUN Championship – and North Alabama’s Xing Lou.
In his first season as a Governor under first-year head coach Easton Key, Samuels is the first Austin Peay men’s golfer to qualify for the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship as an individual without winning a conference title. Samuels is the first Gov to qualify for the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship since 2014 when Marco Iten won the Ohio Valley Conference Championship and advanced to the Auburn Regional, which he won to claim a spot in the NCAA Men’s Golf National Championship.
Samuels led the APSU Govs with a 70.14 scoring average, 14 rounds in the 60s, and 21 rounds at even or under par this season while also recording a counting score for the team in all 29 rounds played. He also posted a team-best 723-55-11 record against the field, which was good for a .929 winning percentage, and is ranked No. 159 in the NCAA Men’s DI rankings.
A Clarksville native, Samuels won in his Austin Peay State University debut when he shot 15-under 201 to win the Golfweek Fall Challenge at True Blue Golf Club in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. His 54-hole score of 201 is tied for the fourth-best tournament score in Austin Peay State University history. Samuels followed the win in his APSU debut with a top-five finish in each of his first six tournaments as a Governor and has posted a top-five finish in 8-of-10 events this season.
Samuels carded his best round of the season at Arkansas State’s Bubba Barnett Intercollegiate, shooting eight-under 64 in the opening round to post the fourth-best 18-hole score in APSU history. Samuels also played to a perfect 4-0 record in match play during his first season at Austin Peay State University.
Big 12 Conference Champion Oklahoma State is the No. 1 team in the Urbana Regional with North Carolina, Illinois, Texas Tech, Long Beach State, UNLV, Houston, Marquette, Troy, Pacific, North Carolina State, Illinois State, and Wright State making up the rest of the 13-team field.
The following nine individuals also will join Samuels at the Urbana Regional: Hunter Thomson (Michigan), Jack Schoenberger (Kentucky), Paul Beauvy (Iowa State), Anthony Delisanti (Valparaiso), Clay Merchant (Indiana), Ryan Ford (Cincinnati), Ben Cors (Dayton), Titus Boswell (IU Indy), and Trey Wall (Murray State).
The top five teams and the low individual not on those teams from each regional will advance to the National Championship, May 23rd-28th, at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California.
For more information on the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship, visit NCAA.com.
For news, updates, and results, follow the APSU men’s golf team on Twitter and Instagram (@GovsMGO) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.
