With each of its top four scorers returning from last fall, it was quite clear prior to the start of the 2020 season that the Shawnee State men's golf program had a great deal of upside.

They proved that in a resounding fashion Friday evening -- behind a familiar figure that started the Fall 2020 season the way he ended the Fall 2019 campaign.

With a score of 69, Elijah McCarty not only won the SSU Invitational by two full strokes, but shot his first-ever round in the 60s while fellow teammates DJ Graham and Jordan Hughes shot marks of 71 and 72 to collect top-three finishes.

They led an outstanding effort for Shawnee State as the Bears' A team notched a one-under 287 on the day at the Elks Country Club grounds while the B team notched a rock-solid 301 to finish third. Of the 12 Shawnee State golfers who participated in the one-day showing, 10 shot a 78 or better, allowing SSU to put together a dominating performance all around.

McCarty has reason to party

Coming off an outstanding sophomore season, McCarty showed further evolvement in his overall game Friday evening.

Just over 11 months following his first-ever collegiate Medalist honors at the Elks by shooting an even-par 72, McCarty handled Friday's gusty winds in excellent fashion by birding seven holes (2, 6, 9, 11, 12, 14, and 18) and notching seven additional pars on the day.

It's McCarty's second Medalist honor in a row -- and marks the 27th time in 31 rounds that the West Union, Ohio native has shot at least 79 or below.

Graham the Great

Like McCarty, Graham posted his best-ever round as a SSU hand by notching a one-under 71 -- joining his Medalist-winning teammate as the lone players to shoot under par for the 18-hole, one-day invitational.

Graham led the way among all golfers through nine holes, posting a 33 while birding four holes (2, 5, 6, and 9) on the front nine. He notched even par on each of his final seven holes, and 11 overall, to come up with a strong effort for the Bears.

Hughes in the groove

Another talented junior in the SSU rotation, Jordan Hughes came up big with his own splendid performance by notching an even-par 72 throughout the day. Hughes birdied holes two, nine, and 14 on the day and notched pars on a dozen additional holes to continue what is becoming a strong career for the multi-sport athlete.

Additional Notes

• Playing as the top guy on Shawnee State's 'B' Team, Patrick England put together a strong outing of his own. England, like Hughes, birdied three holes (5, 11 and 14) and notched 11 pars to join McCarty, Graham, and Hughes on the SSU Invitational All-Tournament Team.
• Continuing Shawnee State's dominance of the overall leaderboard, eight players found their way inside the top-10. In addition to the previously mentioned quartet, BJ Knox, Steven Zimmerman, Austin Barta and Tyler Roberts all finished in a tie for eighth by shooting 75s. Roberts, a native of Bexley, accomplished this score while competing in his first ever collegiate meet.
• Trey Albert and Brett Bentley, who each shot 78s, tied for 17th in the 41-player field while Jake Hoover (t-36, 87) and Peyton Fyffe (39th, 89) rounded out Shawnee State's list of competitors.
• Ohio Christian's Michael Cooper joined McCarty, Graham, Hughes and England on the SSU Invitational All-Tournament team. Joining Cooper from a top-10 perspective, among outside competitors, was fellow OCU hand Eli Montgomery and IU-East's Jake Miller (74 each) and Rio Grande's Jacob Calvin and Logan Sheets (75 each).

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