BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — After IU’s last fall competition, redshirt junior Clay Merchent was named the Big Ten golfer of the week.

Merchent is a Noblesville high school grad where he was the state runner-up in his senior season.

Merchent finished 4th individually in the Hoosiers last fall competition at the Ka’anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational out in Hawaii.

“I made some putts that just hadn’t been falling all fall, and that’s really the difference,” Merchent said. “It just felt good. I felt like I was supposed to be there.”

Merchent became the third player in program history to shoot under 200 (199, 14 under par) in his performance in Hawaii.

Merchent was the 2021 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, but missed most of the past two seasons with a rib injury.

“It’s been kind of a crazy couple years for me, and I think my perspective this year has just been very different,” Merchent said. “I certainly have a newfound appreciation for golf, and it lead me to working and practicing a little more efficiently and having more fun doing it, and my goals are probably certainly higher than they’ve ever been.”

Merchent is a team captain for this year’s team.

He is the first IU men’s golfer to be named Player of the Week in the Big Ten since Noah Gillard in April in 2024.

For more on Merchent, watch the video above.