Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina redshirt sophomore Tyler Jones collected his second Southern Conference Men's Golfer of the Week honor today following his second career individual championship, winning the spring-opening Compadres Collegiate on Tuesday at the par-72, 6,701-yard Iberostar Playa Paraiso Golf Club.
 
Jones is the first Catamount to collect multiple weekly plaudits from the league office in the same season since Pierre Viallaneix did so back in the 2019-2020 campaign. He joins a list of that includes five others – Viallaneix, Magnus Pedersen, JT Poston, Matt Cook, and Tripp Morrow – to have earned multiple weekly awards in their WCU career.
 
Jones paced the Catamounts to a fifth-place showing at the Compadres Collegiate, rallying over the final 18 holes with a tournament-low round of 66 to claim his second individual medalist honors of the season. He is the first Catamount men's golfer to finish atop the individual leaderboard twice in the same season since Dylan MacQueen did so back in 2017-18, winning the Phoenix Intercollegiate outright in the Fall 2017 and finishing regulation in a three-way tie for first at The Manor Intercollegiate in the Spring 2018.
 
However, Jones is the first Catamount to claim sole medalist honors since JT Poston did so back in 2014-15, leaving the current WCU redshirt sophomore in rarified air.
 
Jones posted a three-round score of 4-under par 212 (71-75-66), advancing from fifth-place through 36 holes to win dramatically. Tied atop the leaderboard entering his final hole of the event – the par-5, 489-yard fifth – the Jacksonville, N.C., carded an Eagle to break the tie and carry the two-stroke lead to the top of the podium.
 
For Jones, who transferred to WCU from Charlotte ahead of the 2025-26 season, it's his second dramatic victory this season. Back in September, Jones eagled the 18th at the beautiful Waynesville Inn & Golf Club to claim medalist honors at the home JT Poston Invitational.
 
Jones finished with a team-high 15 birdies, tied for the most in the 56-golfer field at the 54-hole event in Mexico, while also leading the tournament in par-5 scoring at 7-under-par (4.42). Early in the spring semester, Jones currently leads the Southern Conference in individual scoring average at 69.87 through 15 rounds. According to scores reported as of Feb. 4, Jones is only one of two SoCon men's golfers to have won an event in the 2025-26 season to date – and the lone conference competitor to have multiple victories this season.
 
Western Carolina returns stateside for its next event, traveling to Hilton Head Island, S.C., for the Wexford Intercollegiate, hosted by Francis Marion Feb. 16-17.
 
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