Jacksonville, FL – In his first season on the Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s golf team, junior Patton Samuels was named the 2025 Atlantic Sun Conference Golfer of the Year and a First Team All-ASUN selection. In addition, sophomore Seth Smith was named a Third Team All-ASUN selection, the league announced Tuesday.
Samuels is the first Governor to earn a conference player of the year award since Marco Iten was named the 2014 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year. He also is the first Gov to earn ASUN Golfer of the Year and First Team All-ASUN honors since APSU joined the conference in 2022.
Samuels and Smith are the first Austin Peay State University teammates to earn all-conference selections in the same season since Iten and Anthony Bradley were both First Team All-OVC selections in 2014.
Last week, Samuels was named one of 45 individuals to qualify for the 2025 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship and will compete at the Urbana Regional, May 12th-14th, hosted by Illinois at Atkins Golf Club in Urbana, Illinois.
In his first season under first-year head coach Easton Key, Samuels is the first Austin Peay State University men’s golfer to qualify for the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship as an individual without winning a conference title. He also is the first Gov to qualify for the event since 2014 when Iten won the OVC 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.
Smith led Austin Peay State University with two individual wins during his sophomore campaign, winning back-to-back weeks at Murray State’s The Buddy and the Xavier Invitational. The victories made Smith the first APSU golfer to win consecutive tournaments since Chris Barron during the 2005-06 season. He also is the first Governor with multiple individual wins in a season since Marco Iten won three times during the 2013-14 season.
Smith ranked second on the team with a 73.10 scoring average this season and totaled five rounds in the 60s and 13 rounds at even or under par with a counting score for the team in 28-of-29 rounds played. Smith recorded a 481-293-15 record against the field, which was good for a .621 winning percentage, and is ranked No. 787 in the NCAA Men’s DI rankings.
A native of Campbellsville, Kentucky, Smith’s third-round score of eight-under 63 and 54-hole score of 200 at Murray State’s The Buddy are both the second-best marks in Austin Peay history.
For news, updates, and results, follow the Austin Peay State University men’s golf team on Twitter and Instagram (@GovsMGO) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.
