Greensboro, Ga. – Western Carolina redshirt senior Pablo Hernandez continued his rebound at the 2024 Southern Conference Men's Golf Championship, rallying 11 positions over the final 18 holes to lead the Catamounts in a tie for 20th as play concluded Tuesday at the par-72, 7,393-yard Oconee Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee. WCU finished the conference champion-crowning event in eighth place.
 
Mired amidst a tied for 37th after an opening-round score of 80, Hernandez vaulted 17 positions over the next two rounds including an 11-spot gain over the final 18 holes – the tournament's biggest gainer over the final 18 holes. He was one of just seven golfers in the championship field to shoot in the 60s in Tuesday's third round.
 
Opening on the back nine, Hernandez countered a bogey with a pair of birdies to make the turn for the final time at 1-under par. With a trio of birdies and five pars, the Madrid, Spain, product was poised to finish the round at 4-under-par until a bogey on the par-4 ninth left him at 3-under-par 69 for the three-day total of 220.
 
Freshman Andrew Korytoski posted WCU's second-lowest third-round score with a 1-over-par 73 to advance two positions into 36th overall with a total of 229. The Cataula, Ga., native countered four bogeys with three birdies – two coming among his final three holes of the event.
 
Sophomore Ivan Ninkovic was WCU's second-highest finisher at the conference championship, placing in a two-way tie for 28th with a three-day tally of 224. The Croatian-born striker followed up his consecutive rounds of 2-over-par 74 with a 4-over-par final round 76 on Tuesday. After a birdie on his first hole, Ninkovic was saddled with a trio of bogeys to make the turn for home at 2-over-par. Two additional birdies among the first four holes of the front nine moved him back to even-par, but a costly quadruple bogey on the par-5 seventh left him at 4-over for the day.
 
Jace Butcher, a freshman from Kennesaw, Ga., came home 32nd with a total of 226. After opening with six straight pars to start the day, he made the turn at 1-over-par after a pair of bogeys and his lone birdie of the day. A 3-over performance on the front nine included a bogey and finishing the day with a double-bogey on his 54th hole left him at 4-over-par 76.
 
Rounding out WCU's scoring five were Korytoski in 36th and fifth-year senior Magnus Pedersen in 38th overall with a three-round total of 231. The Moss, Norway, native countered three bogeys with three birdies, but two double-bogeys left him at 4-over-par 76 over the final 18 holes.
 
All told Hernandez led WCU with 11 birdies over the 54-hole tournament with Butcher pacing the squad with 37 pars – four more than both Pedersen and Ninkovic with 33. Ninkovic and Korytoski both finished with nine birdies apiece.
 
ETSU clinched the 2024 SoCon Men's Golf Championship, their fourth-straight league title, and garnered the league's automatic bid into the NCAA postseason. The Buccaneers held a four-stroke lead over Chattanooga entering the final round after posting a 36-hole score of 554. ETSU stretched its lead to double digits halfway through the front nine of the day. The Mocs battled back to take a one-stroke lead with five holes to play, however, the Bucs finished strong to earn the title with a tournament score of 30-under-par 834.
 
Chattanooga finished as the runner-up with a tournament score of 28-under 836. The Mocs sat in second throughout the championship after shooting 284 in the first round, 274 in the second round, and 278 in the final round.
 
UNCG finished third after shooting a 5-under 283 in the final round to finish with a tournament score of 8-under 856. Furman concluded the tournament in fourth at even-par 864 and Mercer climbed one spot to finish fifth at 10-over 874. Wofford (877), Samford (889), and Western Carolina (893) rounded out the scoring at sixth, seventh and eighth place, respectively.
 
ETSU's Matthew Dodd-Berry and Mats Ege were co-medalists after each finished the event shooting a 13-under 203. A trio of Chattanooga golfers finished behind the two medalists as UTC and ETSU swept the top five individual finishers. Samuel Espinosa and John Houk completed the event tied for third at 11-under 205, while teammate Paul Conroy was fifth at 8-under 208. Conroy shot the best individual round on the final day, logging a 5-under-par 67.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount men's golf and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountMGolf).
 
 
8 – Western Carolina – 305 – 294 - 294 = 893 (+29)
T20 – Pablo Hernandez – 80-71-69 = 220 (+4)
T28 – Ivan Ninkovic – 74-74-76 = 224 (+8)
32 – Jace Butcher – 75-75-76 = 226 (+10)
36 – Andrew Korytoski – 76-80-73 = 229 (+13)
38 – Magnus Pedersen – 81-74-76 = 231 (+15)
 
2024 SoCon Men's Golf Championship
Reynolds Lake Oconee – The Oconee Course
1 – ETSU – 275 – 279 – 280 = 834 (-30)
2 – Chattanooga – 284 – 274 – 278 = 836 (-28)
3 – UNCG – 290 – 283 – 283 = 856 (-8)
4 – Furman – 286 – 291 – 287 = 864 (E)
5 – Mercer – 296 – 288 – 290 = 874 (+10)
 6 – Wofford – 300 – 280 – 297 = 877 (+13)
7 – Samford – 302 – 300 – 287 = 889 (+25)
8 – Western Carolina – 305 – 294 – 294 = 893 (+29)