Indiana men’s golf wrapped up play at the 2025 Big Ten Championships with an eighth-place finish after posting a team score of 860, 20 over par, April 25-27 at the Baltimore Country Club in Baltimore.
The Hoosiers opened the tournament sharp and looked to build early momentum during the first day. Indiana carded a first-round score of 277, three under par, April 25, putting them at 3 under par to start the event.
Redshirt junior Clay Merchent put together a strong showing at the conference championship. He tied for 14th overall with a three-round total of 213, 3 over par. Merchent opened the tournament with a 4-under-par 66, recording five birdies along the way.
Aside from Merchent’s hot start in the first round, Indiana had key contributions from sophomore Cole Starnes, who fired a 2-under-par 68. Starnes’ opening round featured a sharp front nine, as he shot a 32 to go into the turn at 3 under par.
Sophomore Nick Piesen also turned in a solid performance for the Hoosiers, posting a 1-over-par 71 to keep Indiana near the top of the leaderboard after the first day.
Freshman Bradley Chill Jr. and sophomore Alec Cesare rounded out Indiana’s scoring in the opening round, each carding rounds of 2-over-par 72. Chill played steady golf with nine pars on the back nine, while Cesare recorded a pair of birdies on the first and 17th holes to offset early bogeys. Indiana’s depth showed early, as four players recorded rounds of 72 or better to secure a strong team total of 277 after day one.
Starting the second day in a strong position, Indiana followed up its first-round score of 3 under par with another solid performance in the second round Saturday.
In the second round, Merchent stayed in contention with an even-par 70. He used early birdies and an eagle on the fourth hole to remain near the top of the leaderboard at third place and under par heading into the final day.
Piesen led the way for Indiana in the second round, firing a 1-under-par 69. After playing the front nine at 1-over following a bogey on the ninth hole, Piesen bounced back with a clean, bogey-free back nine. He birdied holes 10, 14 and 16 to post a 2-under 33 coming in, helping the Hoosiers maintain momentum with one of their few under-par rounds of the day.
Starnes and Merchent each posted even-par rounds of 70. Starnes battled through an up-and-down day, carding four bogeys but recovering with four birdies to balance his score and keep Indiana in a solid position. Merchent had a mixed round with an eagle on the fourth hole and birdies on the seventh and 13th holes.
Rounding out the lineup, Chill and Cesare shot rounds of 73, 3 over par, and 74, 4 over par, respectively, which helped the Hoosiers finish with a team score of 282, 2 over par. That effort moved Indiana into third place heading into Sunday’s final round.
However, Indiana’s momentum came to a halt.
Merchent — along with most of the field — faced difficulty scoring in the final round. He finished the day with a 7-over-par 77. Merchent secured a tie for 14th place, helped by his consistent birdie production over the first two rounds.
Over the course of the championship, he tallied nine birdies, which helped him secure his third consecutive top 20 finish of the spring season.
Like Merchent’s tournament, Indiana’s team performance followed a similar pattern: strong play over the first two rounds, but a shaky final round that kept it from closing out a strong finish.
Indiana struggled in the final round. The Hoosiers' team score of 301, 21 over par, was the sixth-worst in the 18-team field. The rough round caused them to slide five spots down the leaderboard, ultimately settling for an eighth-place finish of eighteen teams.
Starnes led the way with a 4-over-par 74, while Chill and Cesare each carded a 5-over-par 75. Merchent and Piesen each shot 77, 7 over par.
Six double bogeys and 25 bogeys plagued the Hoosiers’ scorecards in the final round and kept Indiana from finishing on the podium.
Individually, Starnes finished tied for 12th with a total score of 212, 2 over par. Merchent tied for 15th with a score of 213, 3 over par. Piesen finished tied for 28th with a score of 217, 7 over par. Chill Jr. tied for 46th with a total score of 220, 10 over par. Cesare finished tied for 50th with a score of 221,11 over par.
The Hoosiers now await their postseason fate, with hopes of earning a spot in the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Regionals, set for May 12-14. The full field and regional assignments will be announced during the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship Selection Show at 1 p.m. April 30 and will be broadcast on Golf Channel.
