Sapphire, N.C. – Western Carolina men's golf and the Country Club of Sapphire Valley play host to an intercollegiate golf tournament this weekend beginning with practice rounds on Sunday, Sept. 29 with three rounds of competition set for Monday, Sept. 30 and Tuesday, Oct. 1. The first-ever J.T. Poston Invitational – renamed after 10 years as the Hummingbird Intercollegiate – will see teams again play one of the region's most pristine course during that special time of year as the mountainous terrain begins to be painted with the hues of autumn.

Tournament namesake, Poston, who plans to be at the country club later in the day on Sunday during the practice rounds and tournament dinner, won individual medalist honors in WCU's home event in the 2013 event – the first time the Hummingbird Intercollegiate played out at 54 holes, doing so with a then school-record 54-hole score of 204. Adding top 10 finishes of ninth in 2011 and third, in 2014, Poston's average finish over his four-year career at the tournament was eighth.

“Renaming our home tournament wasn't just for Western Carolina University or our men's golf team. But it was also for the Country Club of Sapphire Valley, their generous membership, and for J.T. himself,” said WCU head men's golf coach Tim Eckberg, a 2004 graduate from the Catamount men's program. “I knew we wanted to do something for him, for what he did as a Catamount, what he's doing on the PGA Tour – but also just the person he is and how generous he has been with WCU Golf. I wanted to reconnect him with us, tie us together and continue to put eyeballs on the fact that he did indeed come to WCU, was an All-American here, and is now on the PGA Tour.”

Live scoring of the tournament will be available both days and for all three rounds online at GolfStat.com. Additional updates will be made periodically through Twitter using the handle, @Catamounts and @GolfWCU.

This season marks the 13th-consecutive year – and the 14th time overall – that WCU and the Country Club of Sapphire Valley (CCSV) have combined to host an intercollegiate men's golf tournament. With play slated to begin on the final day of September through the first day of October, this year marks the earliest date of competition in WCU's event history for a second-straight year – an event that was traditionally held in late October / early November.

Also, for just the fourth time in WCU's event-hosting history at the CCSV – and the third-consecutive season overall – the J.T. Poston Invitational will play out at a 54-hole format with 36 holes of continuous play with a shotgun start on Monday, Sept. 30 and the third and final round to tee-off on Tuesday, Oct. 1 from both holes No. 1 and No. 10.

“We say it every year, but it still rings true. We are beyond fortunate to be able to call the Country Club of Sapphire Valley a home course and to host a top-notch collegiate tournament at this spectacular venue in front of a great membership and our fan base. It's an incredible golf course, and now tied with a former Catamount great and a rising star on the PGA Tour, I'm extremely proud to have the opportunity to showcase some of the best college golf here once again.”

All told, 14 teams will vie for the tournament team championship with two teams – ACC-foe Clemson and Tennessee out of the SEC – sending individuals to comprise the 87-golfer field. In addition to the host Catamounts, WCU and the CCSV welcome golfers from Austin Peay, Belmont, Central Arkansas, Charleston Southern, Florida Gulf Coast, Georgia Southern, High Point, Kennesaw State, Morehead State, South Carolina, Stetson, Virginia Commonwealth, and Western Kentucky.

The field includes four previous tournament-winning programs including defending champion, Georgia Southern (2018), Western Carolina (2016, 2007), Clemson (2014), and Charleston Southern (2004), the first team event champion. A total of 11 different teams have claimed the championship in the 13 previous WCU-hosted events at CCSV with two – WCU and Wofford (2013, 2015) – has won twice. Also, three schools – South Carolina, Tennessee, and Western Kentucky – make their first trip to the Country Club of Sapphire Valley.

WCU's home event has never had a repeat individual winner, though three schools have seen an individual take the top spot. A tourney-high three Catamounts have stood atop the podium at their home event including Dylan MacQueen (2016), current PGA Tour member – and tournament namesake – J.T. Poston (2013), and Andres Cuenca (2007), the latter winning in the event's return to the CCSV. Both Furman and Vanderbilt have had two individual medalists dating back to 2004.

Playing at a par-71, 6,767-yard layout, the beautiful Country Club of Sapphire Valley is a private, member-owned club that features a valley golf course, plush clubhouse, state-of-the-art fitness center, and tennis center. The course meanders through the backdrop of mature hardwood forest and the scenic mountains of the southern Appalachians that provide for breathtaking views and a natural setting. The course, which sits on a level valley floor despite its mountainous surroundings, was originally designed by George Cobb and was updated by Bill Bergin.

Two of the previous 12 Hummingbird Intercollegiate golf tournaments have been decided by a single stroke. Clemson edged SoCon-foe, Furman, by a single marker in 2014 with UCF rallying past Vanderbilt in 2008 for a one-stroke victory, using a tournament-record 36-hole score of 557.

In a similar fashion, the individual race has finished tied just twice – the aforementioned 2004 tournament involving Tyburski and Radford's Aaron Summers in which Summers claimed in the only playoff in event history. The other tie came in 2014 due to weather.

Last year, in its first trip to the mountain-valley course, Georgia Southern blistered the field to the tune of a team-score 30-under par at 822 to claim the team trophy which was awarded for the 13th time in event history by 13 strokes over runner-up, Morehead State (835, -17). On his way to the individual medalist honors, GSU's Steven Fisk charted the second-lowest, 54-hole score in tournament history at 203, just a stroke off Clemson's Colby Patton who shot 202 back in 2017.

A combined 10 teams matched or broke the event's 54-hole tournament scoring record of 856 originally established by Gardner-Webb in 2017 a season ago. Mason Williams of Georgia Southern tied the tournament single-round record-low round of 65 in the final round, the fourth golfer in the three-round event history to fire a 65.

For the Catamounts, this year's scoring five at the home tournament will be dominated by newcomers including redshirt freshman Tyler Bussert playing at No. 1 with three true freshmen – Quinton Metz, Magnus Pedersen, and Pierre Viallaneix – flanked by sophomore Tumi Kúld. Viallaneix paced the Catamounts in their 2019-20 season-opener at the Crusader Collegiate with a 19th-place finish with a 2-over par tournament score of 218 while Bussert was second on the WCU squad with a 9-over par, 225 and a tie for 45th.

WCU will also have a trio of players competing unattached for individual honors including juniors Zach Caudill and Michael Coe, as well as sophomore Louis Theys. Each of those golfers competed among WCU's scoring five a year ago.

Complete results and recaps of both days will be made available after play Monday and Tuesday.

Related Link: Honoring a Champion; Men's Golf Renames Home Tournament