Bermuda Run, N.C. – Western Carolina redshirt sophomore Tyler Jones carded five birdies against a bogey in Monday's opening round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Golf Winston-Salem Regional, shooting 4-under-par 67 to sit in a six-way tie for third-place as an individual at the par-71, 7,013-yard Bermuda Run Country Club.
 
No. 3 Virginia holds a two-stroke lead over No. 15 Pepperdine after 18 holes, as the Cavaliers shot 271 on Monday, while the Waves crashed on the clubhouse with a first-round score of 273. Four teams – regional host No. 32 Wake Forest, No. 10 Ole Miss, No. 39 Mississippi State, and No. 28 Southern California – are tied for third with matching scores of 278, seven strokes off the pace.
 
Through 18 holes, Jones sits in the individual transfer spot for the NCAA Championship, as the top five finishing teams and the low-scoring individual not on any of the advancing regional teams will advance to the NCAA Championship finals, scheduled for May 29 through June 2, at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
 
Opening on the front nine, Jones played the front nine at 3-under par, posting six pars and a trio of birdies. He was even through three holes, with two of his front-nine birdies coming on par-5 holes. The Jacksonville, N.C. product, took advantage of long drives on the 509-yard fourth and 588-yard, with his third birdie coming on the 395-yard, par-4 seventh.
 
After consecutive pars to open the back nine, Jones carded his first blemish of the round with a bogey on the par-3, 188-yard 12th, that relegated him to 2-under for the day. He stayed two-better than the pace over the next four holes before closing his round strong with back-to-back birdies on the 560-yard par-5 17th and the 385-yard, par-4 18th.
 
His five birdies have him tied for eighth in the field after 18 holes, and he is tied for fourth in par-5 scoring at 3-under par (4.00).
 
Paired with Chip Deegan from the United States Naval Academy and Little Rock's Ed Featherstone, Jones goes off the front nine in the final pairing of the second round as he tees off on hole No. 1 at 10:04 a.m. Each regional round will have online live scoring through the Scoreboard app, powered by Clippd, with live video provided through Babygrande Golf (paid subscription required).
 
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