Putting together a complete performance over a single day is certainly satisfying.
However, obliterating two school records over two days, 36 holes, and wet weather conditions certainly calls for a celebration.
In wrapping up its third invitational victory for the second straight fall — after not having more than two in any semester from the Fall 2005 to Spring 2019 semesters — the Shawnee State men’s golf program put together a complete effort, notching a school-record 18-hole round of 282 during the final day of competition Tuesday and besting the 36-hole record of 574 by shooting a 569 as a group to win the eight-team Roger Merb Invitational at the Elks Country Club in McDermott.
McCarty, Knox, Hughes light up scoreboard
En route to a school-record total, it was the lineup’s three mainstays — Elijah McCarty, BJ Knox, and Jordan Hughes — that allowed Shawnee State to light up the scorecards Tuesday.
McCarty, who birdied seven holes en route to his career-low round of 67 Monday, posted five additional birdies Tuesday by knocking in putts on the second, third, fourth, 11th, and 14th holes to finish with a two-under 70 after offsetting three bogeys with his birdie putts. The junior finished with a seven-under 137 to finish in a tie for second with Pikeville’s Blake Maupin, and capped off another outstanding day as a result.
Knox, who shot even-par yesterday, improved Tuesday to a two-under 70 himself by knocking in birdies on the second, 13th, and 16th holes. The Maysville, Ky. native notched pars on 14 of the 15 remaining holes to move up a spot and tie Hughes for fourth place on the leaderboard.
Hughes, meanwhile, played arguably the best golf of his career over the final 18 holes of regulation en route to finishing as Shawnee State’s low shooter Tuesday. The junior from Flemingsburg, Ky. birdied seven holes — the first, second, fourth, eighth, 12th, 13th, and 14th — to set up a fantastic four-under 68. He moved up five spots to tie Knox for a fourth place finish while earning RMI All-Tournament Honors himself.
England, Zimmerman continue consistent play
Completing the dynamic efforts of the SSU ‘A’ squad was the play of Patrick England and Steven Zimmerman, who have continued to provide steady efforts for the Bears over the last several weeks.
Zimmerman, who posted a two-over 74 en route to a two-day, five-over 149, posted birdies on the eighth and 14th holes and scored pars on 11 additional greens while England birdied the third and 14th holes and posted pars on nine additional greens to finish with a 77 on the second day of action and a seven-over 151 overall. The pair finished 10th and 13th, respectively, in the 45-player field.
Additional Notes
Behind the main quintet, Tyler Roberts and Brett Bentley continued to show promise in their freshman campaigns, with Roberts notching a second-day 81 and an overall 12-over 156 to finish in a tie for 24th while Bentley’s own 81 on Day Two and a 15-over 159 led the Greenup County, Ky. native to a tie for 27th overall. Austin Barta (16-over 160, t-31st), Trey Albert (18-over 162, 35th), Jake Hoover (24-over 168, 41st) and Peyton Fyffe (26-over 170, t-43rd) rounded out Shawnee State’s competitors over the two-day event.
Over the entire tournament, Shawnee State’s 569 bested second-place Ohio Dominican and third-place Pikeville (Ky.) by 15 and 16 strokes (584 and 585), respectively. Ohio Dominican’s Blake Saffell, who won Roger Merb Medalist honors with a seven-under 65 on Day 2 and a nine-under 135 overall, and Maupin, who matched McCarty for second with his 137, were also named to the Roger Merb Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Bears win Golden Bear Classic
In another strong performance from a team-related standpoint, the Shawnee State men’s golf program put four players inside the top-five and six golfers inside the top-10 as the Bears — led by BJ Knox’s and Elijah McCarty’s 74s — collected a West Virginia Tech Golden Bear Classic-winning 302 as a unit at the Glade Springs Resort Golf Course in Beckley, W. Va. Friday evening.
With the victory, Shawnee State won its fifth invitational since the beginning of the 2019-20 season — and did so in style, finishing 20 strokes ahead of second-place Bluefield (Va.) in doing so.
Knox and McCarty, who led the charge with their 74s, were able to face off against West Virginia Tech’s Jorge Hernandez in a two-hole playoff after tying for the tournament’s top spot through 18 holes of regulation. While Knox and McCarty weren’t able to pick up the win, the pair did collect second and third place finishes for the Bears.
The consistency in strong scores proved to be a staple beyond the front pair as well.
Jordan Hughes, who shot a 76 through his own 18-hole output, collected his second top-five of the year with a fourth-place finish while DJ Graham did likewise with a 77 and a fifth-place showing as an individual hand.
Steven Zimmerman, the final credited scoring golfer on the squad, notched a 79 to finish in a tie for eighth while Patrick England’s 81 netted the North Adams High School graduate a 10th place finish, adding to a strong fall where England has worked himself into the main rotation of golfing hands on the roster.
Austin Barta, who worked his way into a road trip himself, notched an 89 in his first career road invitational. The sophomore finished 28th overall.
Leave a Reply