Sapphire, N.C. – Western Carolina freshman Jake Peacock fired a final-round score of 1-under par 70 on Tuesday to finish tied for fourth to lead the Catamounts at their home tournament, the 2021 JT Poston Invitational concluded at the par-71, 7,007-yard Country Club of Sapphire Valley. WCU dropped three spots in the final order, finishing eighth with a score of 853 in the return of its home tournament.
 
Leading second-place Chattanooga by two strokes after 36 holes, the South Carolina Gamecocks (833) claimed the 2021 team championship by two over Middle Tennessee (835), which climbed into the runner-up position. South Carolina is the 12th different team to claim team honors in the 15-year history of WCU's home tournament. Chattanooga slipped into third in the final standings, four strokes of the pace, with Kennesaw State (845) rallying two spots into fourth and Belmont (846) slipping into fifth-place.
 
Two-time defending champion Georgia Southern advanced two spots into sixth with a score of 847, with mountain-rivals Appalachian State (852) and WCU (853), finishing seventh and eighth, respectively. Conference foes Wofford (857) and Furman (858) rounded out the top 10. UNC Wilmington and Mercer finished tied for 11th at 860, with Morehead State (882) and Central Arkansas (894) rounding out the field.
 
Chattanooga's Braedon Wear outlasted the competition down the stretch, adding an exclamation point to the individual medalist honors with a birdie on the tournament's 54th hole to win by two strokes over the two-way, second-place tie between Southern Conference foes Matthew Larkin (205) of Wofford and Mercer's Tobias Jonsson (205). Wear is the 15th different medalist at WCU's home tournament and his 10-under par 203 is tied for the fifth-best individual 54-hole score in event history.

For the Catamounts, Peacock countered four bogeys with five birdies on Tuesday for a 1-under par round of 70 to finish the tournament at 7-under par 206. The Milton, Ga., native made the turn at even-par in the final 18 holes and capped his round with a birdie on No. 18 to secure his spot in the four-way tie for fourth. Peacock led WCU with 15 birdies.
 
Senior Tumi Kúld advanced nine spots in the final standings into a tie for 35th (216), including junior teammate Magnus Pedersen at 3-over par 216. Kúld countered three holes of bogey-or-worse with a trio of birdies to shoot 1-over, 72. Pedersen shot 5-over par 76 in the final round to slide into the tie for 35th.
 
Rounding out WCU's scoring five were sophomore Presten Richardson, up four spots into a tie for 46th-place at 5-over par 218, and freshman Kyle Kushnir in a tie for 60th at 221. Richardson charted 15 pars and carded WCU's lone eagle of the tournament in Tuesday's final round while Kushnir inked his seventh birdie of the three-round event on the back nine.
 
As a team, the Catamounts paced the field in par-3, scoring at 3.05 (+3) as Peacock led all individuals.
 
Playing unattached as an individual, senior Louis Theys advanced four spots to come home in a tie for 40th overall with a three-round score of 4-over par 217. Junior Quinton Metz moved up nine spots into a tie for 71st at 226, while true freshman Kiefer Bulau (251) finished 87th in his collegiate debut. Theys finished with 13 combined birdies in the event.
 
Western Carolina returns to action Oct. 11-12 at the Carolina Collegiate hosted by Wofford at the Carolina Country Club in Spartanburg, S.C.
 
 
8 – Western Carolina – 280 – 282 – 291 = 853 (+1)
T4 – Jake Peacock – 66 – 70 – 70 = 206 (-7)
T35 – Magnus Pedersen – 68 – 72 – 76 = 216 (+3)
T35 – Tumi Kúld – 73 – 71 – 72 = 216 (+3)
T46 – Presten Richardson – 75 – 70 – 73 = 218 (+5)
T60 – Kyle Kushnir – 73 – 71 – 77 = 221 (+8)
T40 – Louis Theys (ind.) – 79 – 65 – 73 = 217 (+4)
T71 – Quinton Metz (ind.) – 75 – 79 – 72 = 226 (+13)
87 – Kiefer Bulau (ind.) – 86 – 80 – 85 = 251 (+38)
 
2021 J.T. Poston Invitational Final
1. South Carolina – 833 (-19)
2. Middle Tennessee State – 835 (-17)
3. Chattanooga – 837 (-15)
4. Kennesaw State – 845 (-7)
5. Belmont – 846 (-6)
6. Georgia Southern – 847 (-5)
7. Appalachian State – 852 (E)
8. Western Carolina – 853 (+1)
9. Wofford College – 857 (+5)
10. Furman – 858 (+6)
T11. UNCW – 860 (+8)
T11. Mercer – 860 (+8)
13. Morehead State – 882 (+30)
14. Central Arkansas – 894 (+42)