BJ Knox and the top of the leaderboard.
It's certainly becoming a common theme at the collegiate level for the Maysville, Ky. native, who led Shawnee State -- and the field -- once again as his first-day 70 paced the field by three full strokes Friday evening at the Earlham Spring Invitational, which was held at Harbor Links Golf Course in Richmond, Ind.
A Royal, a Redstreak head the pack
Knox, who shot a two-under 70 on the par 72, 6,793-yard course, was the only golfer in the 40-player field to finish under par of Friday's participants. He birdied the third, fifth, sixth, 11th and 17th holes while posting pars on 10 additional greens in the Hoosier State-based tournament.
However, the SSU ace wasn't the only golfer to perform at a high level for the Bears.
Steven Zimmerman, who has been a consistent force throughout the season for Shawnee State's lineup, used outstanding play en route to a one-over 73. The senior also birdied the 10th hole and posted pars on 15 additional greens to lead the Bears in pars for the day.
England, Hughes nab top-15 showings through Day 1
Following Knox and Zimmerman, Patrick England and Jordan Hughes put together solid showings to back up the lead duo.
England, who posted 11 pars on the day, also birdied the third hole while finishing Day 1 with a five-over 77. Hughes, competing as an individual, finished the first 18 holes of play with a six-over 78 to place in 14th. The Flemingsburg, Ky. native birdied his first eight holes and 11 out of his first 12, then after shooting four-over on the 16th hole, recovered brilliantly by posting a birdie on the 17th hole to conclude his effort.
Additional
Austin Barta (individual), Elijah McCarty and Brett Bentley rounded out the Shawnee State golfers who competed on Day 1, with Barta shooting a nine-over 80 and Bentley and McCarty posting 10-over 81s. Barta and McCarty each posted 10 pars apiece on the day while Bentley added in nine of his own.
As a team, Shawnee State is second in the seven-team field, which is NCAA Division III-heavy. The Bears only trail Wittenberg by four strokes (297-301) heading into the final day of competition.
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