Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Inks Three to National Letters of Intent
11/15/2019 3:38:00 PM | Men's Golf
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana men's golf announced its impressive signing class this week, inking three to National Letters of Intent. Clay Merchent (Noblesville, Ind.), Robbie Bender III (Louisville, Ky.) and Drew Salyers (Howard, Ohio) will all suit up for the Hoosiers in the fall.
"We are thrilled that Clay, Drew and Robbie have all decided to join our Hoosier family," Coach Mike Mayer said. "All three bring a wealth of talent and ability to our program and will be immediate contributors. They all define what a Hoosier is, and should be, and we couldn't be any more excited to welcome them to Indiana University. Our 2020 class is, without a doubt, one of the strongest recruiting classes in the history of our program and the future is very bright for Indiana men's golf."
Merchent is a four-time All-State selection from Noblesville High School, where his scoring average in his senior season was a 70 (-22), capped off by a second-place finish at State. Nationally, he posted a pair of AJGA wins and seven top-10 finishes, including at the Thunderbird Invitational and the Ping Invitational. Merchent also finished in the top-10 at the Western Junior and Sage Valley Junior. He is a two-time participant in the USGA Junior, Junior PGA, Rolex of Champions and AJGA CB&I/Simplify Boys Championship. In addition, Merchent participated in the 2017 USGA Amateur.
Merchent, who earned the AJGA Jim Harrison Sportsmanship Award, currently owns the record for the longest drive at the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National at 304 yards. His parents are Mike and Tenna and he has one sibling, Asher.
"It's always great to get the best junior golfer from Indiana and we have accomplished that with Clay," Mayer said. "He has excelled at a national level for a number of years and has established himself, not only as one of the top junior golfers in the country, but also one of the top amateur golfers as well. He had his choice of schools and programs to go to and we are beyond excited that he has decided to stay home."
Bender joins the Hoosiers from Saint Xavier High School. There, he finished tied for sixth at the 2018 State Championship, carding a 75-71, and has recorded four top-two finishes and eight top-five finishes. Bender is ranked eighth in the state of Kentucky for 2020 by Junior Golf Scoreboard and is a two-time member of the Region 6 Team. In 2019, he led Saint Xavier to a runner-up finish in Region 6 Championship, carding five birdies. The previous season saw Saint Xavier win the Region 6 title and finish second at State.
Bender is the cousin of IU Men's Golf alum Brendon Doyle (2014-18). His parents are Bob and Leslie and he has two sisters, Reagan and Ryan, and one brother, Riley.
"Robbie has a tremendous attitude and upside," said Coach Mayer. "He has the game to immediately compete nationally and we believe he has the ability to keep improving and become one of the top collegiate golfers in the country."
Salyers comes to Indiana from East Knox High School. Overall, he is No. 27 in the American Junior Golf Association Rolex rankings, No. 60 by Golfweek and No. 78 by Junior Golf Scoreboard. Salyers owns numerous scoring titles, including all scoring and win records at East Knox. He also holds the Golfweek Tour Low 18-hole scoring record of 62 (-10) and his Golfweek career scoring average of 71.5 is the second-best all-time in Golfweek Junior Tour history.
His junior golf highlights include a 2019 AJGA Justin Thomas Junior title, two-time Golfweek Junior Tour Player of the Year, two-time Central Ohio Golf Academy Tour Player of the Year, and 2019 Rolex Junior All-American. He earned a runner-up finish at the 2019 Hudson Junior Invitational, was tied for third at the Sea Pines Junior Heritage, tied for fourth at the 2019 Scott Robertson, tied for 33rd at US Junior Championship and qualified for the 2019 US Open Sectionals. At East Knox, he is a two-time Central District Player of the Year, three-time KMAC Player of the Year, two-time OHSAA Individual State qualifier and two-time All-State. Salyers was a runner-up in the 2019 state title and has guided East Knox to a pair of conference titles as well as an impressive 49-match winning streak in 2018-19. For the 2019 season, his 18-hole average was 69.4. Salyers' parents are Andrew and Rachel and he has two sisters, Kaya and Vienna.
"Drew absolutely exploded onto the junior golf scene in the spring and early summer of 2019," Mayer commented. "Course records and numerous tournament wins became the norm for this future Hoosier from north central Ohio. He is the 19th ranked player in the country in the class of 2020 and his attitude and fearless approach to the game will serve him exceedingly well, not only at the collegiate level, but also at the professional level after graduation."
"We are thrilled that Clay, Drew and Robbie have all decided to join our Hoosier family," Coach Mike Mayer said. "All three bring a wealth of talent and ability to our program and will be immediate contributors. They all define what a Hoosier is, and should be, and we couldn't be any more excited to welcome them to Indiana University. Our 2020 class is, without a doubt, one of the strongest recruiting classes in the history of our program and the future is very bright for Indiana men's golf."
Merchent is a four-time All-State selection from Noblesville High School, where his scoring average in his senior season was a 70 (-22), capped off by a second-place finish at State. Nationally, he posted a pair of AJGA wins and seven top-10 finishes, including at the Thunderbird Invitational and the Ping Invitational. Merchent also finished in the top-10 at the Western Junior and Sage Valley Junior. He is a two-time participant in the USGA Junior, Junior PGA, Rolex of Champions and AJGA CB&I/Simplify Boys Championship. In addition, Merchent participated in the 2017 USGA Amateur.
Merchent, who earned the AJGA Jim Harrison Sportsmanship Award, currently owns the record for the longest drive at the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National at 304 yards. His parents are Mike and Tenna and he has one sibling, Asher.
"It's always great to get the best junior golfer from Indiana and we have accomplished that with Clay," Mayer said. "He has excelled at a national level for a number of years and has established himself, not only as one of the top junior golfers in the country, but also one of the top amateur golfers as well. He had his choice of schools and programs to go to and we are beyond excited that he has decided to stay home."
Bender joins the Hoosiers from Saint Xavier High School. There, he finished tied for sixth at the 2018 State Championship, carding a 75-71, and has recorded four top-two finishes and eight top-five finishes. Bender is ranked eighth in the state of Kentucky for 2020 by Junior Golf Scoreboard and is a two-time member of the Region 6 Team. In 2019, he led Saint Xavier to a runner-up finish in Region 6 Championship, carding five birdies. The previous season saw Saint Xavier win the Region 6 title and finish second at State.
Bender is the cousin of IU Men's Golf alum Brendon Doyle (2014-18). His parents are Bob and Leslie and he has two sisters, Reagan and Ryan, and one brother, Riley.
"Robbie has a tremendous attitude and upside," said Coach Mayer. "He has the game to immediately compete nationally and we believe he has the ability to keep improving and become one of the top collegiate golfers in the country."
Salyers comes to Indiana from East Knox High School. Overall, he is No. 27 in the American Junior Golf Association Rolex rankings, No. 60 by Golfweek and No. 78 by Junior Golf Scoreboard. Salyers owns numerous scoring titles, including all scoring and win records at East Knox. He also holds the Golfweek Tour Low 18-hole scoring record of 62 (-10) and his Golfweek career scoring average of 71.5 is the second-best all-time in Golfweek Junior Tour history.
His junior golf highlights include a 2019 AJGA Justin Thomas Junior title, two-time Golfweek Junior Tour Player of the Year, two-time Central Ohio Golf Academy Tour Player of the Year, and 2019 Rolex Junior All-American. He earned a runner-up finish at the 2019 Hudson Junior Invitational, was tied for third at the Sea Pines Junior Heritage, tied for fourth at the 2019 Scott Robertson, tied for 33rd at US Junior Championship and qualified for the 2019 US Open Sectionals. At East Knox, he is a two-time Central District Player of the Year, three-time KMAC Player of the Year, two-time OHSAA Individual State qualifier and two-time All-State. Salyers was a runner-up in the 2019 state title and has guided East Knox to a pair of conference titles as well as an impressive 49-match winning streak in 2018-19. For the 2019 season, his 18-hole average was 69.4. Salyers' parents are Andrew and Rachel and he has two sisters, Kaya and Vienna.
"Drew absolutely exploded onto the junior golf scene in the spring and early summer of 2019," Mayer commented. "Course records and numerous tournament wins became the norm for this future Hoosier from north central Ohio. He is the 19th ranked player in the country in the class of 2020 and his attitude and fearless approach to the game will serve him exceedingly well, not only at the collegiate level, but also at the professional level after graduation."
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
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