The men’s golf team at Shawnee State began their 2021-2022 season on Tuesday, September 7 at Hickory Hills Golf Club in Grove City, Ohio. Ohio Dominican University’s Kickoff Classic was a 36-hole one-day tournament. The field consisted of 11 teams, which included multiple Division II programs. Shawnee State shot a first round score of 321 which put them in ninth place after 18 holes. They followed this with a slight improvement in the second round with a score of 320. This put Shawnee State into eighth place overall for the 36-hole tournament.

The Bears were led by senior Jordan Hughes, who shot consecutive rounds of 78 giving him a total score of 156, putting him into a tie for 24th out of 67 golfers. The senior tallied three birdies and 17 pars over the course of the 36 holes.

Following Hughes was fellow senior Elijah McCarty. McCarty shot an 80 in his first round, then followed with a team low of 77 in the second round. This three shot improvement allowed him to jump six places on the leaderboard, giving him a 36-hole total of 157 and a tie for 31st.

Austin Barta, who shot 79 in the first round then 80 in the second round placed himself in 37th. Barta led Shawnee State with six birdies over the course of the tournament.

Alex Pratt and Tyler Roberts rounded out the Shawnee State competitors at the ODU Kickoff Classic, with Pratt, a freshman, carding a 36-hole total of 173 and a tie for 59th place. Roberts, a sophomore, shot a 36-hole total of 171, landing him in a tie for 56th.

From a team perspective, Ohio Dominican’s 595 (+12) 36-hole total propelled them to a six stroke victory in the ODU Kickoff Classic, with the Panthers being the only team to shoot sub 300 in both rounds.

Shawnee State will be back in action in the coming days. For the full men’s golf schedule, visit http://www.ssubears.com/schedule/0/3.php