With an impressive fall already under its hat, the Shawnee State men's golf program continued to build on a strong fall campaign.
Elijah McCarty shot a career-low 67, six players shot at least a 75 or better, and the primary SSU squad posted the best score of the eight teams on Day 1 of the Roger Merb Invitational with a one-under 287 while the SSU 'B' squad posted a respectable 314 to place sixth overall itself in a competitive and stout field Monday at Elks Country Club.
McCarty makes serious statement in return to Elks
Over the past two tournaments held at the Elks Country Club in Portsmouth, Elijah McCarty has wasted no time making the tournament his overall personal playground.
Monday's showing, however, was as legit of a performance as they come.
After posting a bogey on the first hole, McCarty proved to be absolutely sensational from there on, especially on the front nine. The junior from West Union birdied the second, third, sixth, eighth, and ninth holes to post an outstanding 32 on the front nine, then added to it with birdies on No. 11 and No. 13 to cap off an outstanding day with seven birdies and two bogeys despite less than ideal conditions from both a temperature and a course standpoint.
Heading into the final 18 holes of action Tuesday, McCarty paces second-place Blake Maupin (Pikeville) by a stroke.
Knox keeps ticking on
Staying consistent in his own right, BJ Knox fired an even-par 72 to improve by three strokes from his first official 18-hole round of the 2020 season at the Elks Country Club one month ago.
Knox, much like McCarty, was fueled by an excellent start on the front nine. He birdied the second, sixth, and ninth holes en route to another strong showing where the dynamic duo paced the group of SSU golfers. Knox sits in a tie for fifth overall in the 45-golfer field.
SSU continues staple of consistency
Behind McCarty and Knox, SSU continued its staple of consistency, with four additional guys shooting a 75 or better during the day.
Patrick England (birdied sixth and eighth holes) and Jordan Hughes (birdied sixth, ninth, 12th, and 15th) each shot 74s to finish in a tie for ninth overall while Steven Zimmerman rounded out the SSU 'A' group by birding the fifth hole and posting 14 pars to collect a 75, finishing in a tie for 14th overall on Day One.
Tyler Roberts, the top golfer in the SSU 'B' group, also tied for 14th overall and matched his 75 a month ago with another 75 to lead the B group. Roberts posted birdies on the second, third, ninth and 12th holes to head up the charge. Brett Bentley also showed excellent signs of consistency himself, matching the 78 that he posted in the Shawnee State Invitational on Sept. 18 to collect a 23rd place showing himself.
Additional Notes
DJ Graham (80, T-25), Austin Barta (81, T-32), Trey Albert (83, 39th), Jake Hoover (84, T-40), and Peyton Fyffe (86, T-42) rounded out the list of competitors Tuesday evening for the Bears.
As a team, Shawnee State leads Ohio Dominican by three strokes (287-290) and sits seven strokes ahead of Pikeville (294) as well as 10 strokes ahead of Midway (297) heading into the final 18 holes of regulation Tuesday.
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