Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina redshirt sophomore Tyler Jones made the most of his first event for the Purple & Gold, claiming the first Southern Conference Men's Golfer of the Week honor for all tournaments played Sept. 3-10, the league office announced on Wednesday. The Charlotte transfer led WCU to a fifth-place showing at the Golfweek Fall Challenge by recording a podium finish at the par-72, 7,013-yard True Blue Golf Club in Pawley's Island, S.C.
 
Jones collected the first weekly honor handed out by the conference this season – and the first of his WCU career. It's the third time in the past three seasons that a Catamount men's golfer has collected weekly plaudits in September, as Jones joins teammate Ivan Ninkovic, who was recognized on Sept. 24, 2024, and WCU alum Magnus Pedersen, who received the honor on Sept. 13, 2023. Jones is also the 13th different Catamount to earn weekly SoCon honors since 2005.
 
In his first tournament for the Catamounts, Jones finished third overall at the 2025 Golfweek Fall Challenge, carding a score of 11-under par for the tournament. He opened on a tear, posting six birdies in a bogey-free first round with a career-low round of 66. He birdied three of the first four holes and finished at 4-under par on the front nine. He followed with a solid 2-under par 70 on the second day and finished with a 69 in the final round. Each of his three rounds was better than the nine rounds of record during his time with the 49ers.
 
Jones led the tournament in Par 5 scoring at 10-under (4.33) and finished fifth in the field with a team-best 15 birdies. His three-day score of 205 tied Jones for the seventh-best tournament scoring effort in Western Carolina history. The Jacksonville, N.C., product matched four others in the record books with 205 scores, including Andres Cuenca (2008), JT Poston (2013), Kyle Kushnir (2021), and current teammate Ivan Ninkovic, who posted a 205 at the same event back in 2023. Jones paced the tournament in par-5 scoring at 10-under par (4.33),
 
Western Carolina finished fifth at the Golfweek Fall Challenge, just three strokes behind fourth-place Nevada, and two strokes ahead of Central Arkansas and Tennessee Tech. The Catamounts are back in action next week, hosting the JT Poston Invitational in Waynesville, N.C. (Sept. 14-16) at the  Waynesville Inn and Golf Club.  The three-day event starts on Sunday, Sept. 14, and features 54 holes with a single round scheduled for each day through Tuesday.
 
For the second-straight season after a long run at the beautiful Country Club of Sapphire Valley, the event ventures to its new home in Waynesville with the most unique trophy in college golf on the line – the purple mailbox trophy in honor of JT "the Postman" Poston, program alum, golfer on the PGA Tour, and tournament's namesake.
 
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).
 
WCU's All-Time SoCon Men's Golfers of the Week (since 2005):
Tyler Jones – Sept. 10, 2025
Chase Cline – Feb. 5, 2025
Ivan Ninkovic – Sept. 24, 2024
Magnus Pedersen – Sept. 13, 2023
Presten Richardson – Feb. 16, 2022
Magnus Pedersen – March 17, 2021
Pierre Viallaneix – March 4, 2020
Pierre Viallaneix – Oct. 2, 2019
Louis Theys – March 20, 2019
Jackson Bishop – April 4, 2018
JT Poston – April 15, 2015
JT Poston – April 1, 2015
JT Poston – Feb. 25, 2015
JT Poston – March 12, 2014
Tanner Briele – March 4, 2009
Andres Cuenca – April 4, 2007
Matt Cook – April 12, 2006
Matt Cook – April 5, 2006
Trip Morrow – March 29, 2006
Trip Morrow – April 6, 2005