Augusta, Ga. – A pair of closing-hole eagles propelled Western Carolina's Jace Butcher and Brewer Lael into the top 10 as the Western Carolina opened the 2026-27 season with a fourth-place finish Tuesday at the Jaguar Invitational, contested at Forest Hills Golf Club.
 
Butcher and Lael each eagled their final hole of the 54-hole tournament to cap impressive closing rounds. Butcher drained an eagle on the par-4, 302-yard 18th, while Lael finished his round with an eagle on the par-5 ninth. The duo tied for eighth overall at 3-under-par 213 as the Catamount scoring five posted a three-round score of 868 (+4).
 
After an early bogey on his second hole Tuesday, Butcher settled in with 10 consecutive pars before a late charge vaulted him up the leaderboard. The senior from Kennesaw, Ga., birdied two of his final three holes before holing out for eagle on No. 18, carding a season-low 3-under-par 69 and climbing seven spots in the final standings.
 
Butcher tied for the tournament lead in par-4 scoring at 3-under par (3.90 average) and finished tied for seventh with 11 birdies.
 
Lael, competing as an individual, also used a strong finish to post a career-low round. The freshman opened on the back nine and stood at 2-over through 10 holes after bogeys at Nos. 12 and 1. The Newton, N.C., native responded by playing his final eight holes in 5-under par, recording three birdies and an eagle on No. 9 to finish with a second-straight subpar round of 69. Lael finished with a combined 10 birdies during the event.
 
Among WCU's scoring five, senior Andrew Korytoski posted a final-round 73 to finish 20th overall at 218 (+2). Charlie Coe, who entered the day tied for the tournament lead, finished tied for 30th at 222 (+6), tied for third in par-3 scoring at 1-under par (2.92 average).
 
Junior transfer Connor Williams matched his career low with a 73 to climb five spots into a tie for 32nd, while senior Tyler Jones carded a 1-under-par 71 and moved up 14 places to tie for 45th at 226 (+10).
 
As a team, the Catamounts ranked second in the field with 175 pars and tied for the best par-3 scoring average at 3.10 (+6).
 
Also competing as an individual, senior Michael Bevins finished tied for 32nd at 223 (+7) after shooting 76 on Tuesday. Bevins recorded 14 pars in the final round.
 
Freshman Connor Warren made the biggest move of the day for WCU, climbing 15 spots into a tie for 53rd. After rounds of 80 and 81 to open the tournament, Warren fired a career-low 4-under-par 68 on Tuesday, highlighted by seven birdies. He finished the event with 11 birdies, tying Butcher for the seventh-most in the field.
 
Freshman Andrew Perry also posted a career-low round Tuesday, shooting 75 to finish tied for 55th at 230 (+14). Senior Dalton Payne rounded out the Catamount competitors in a tie for 63rd at 235 (+19).
Host Augusta used a tournament-best second-round 273 (-15) to pull away from the field and claim the team title by 11 strokes. The Jaguars finished at 23-under-par 841, followed by High Point at 852 (-12). Belmont placed third at 859 (-5), with Western Carolina fourth at 868 (+4). Georgia State and Francis Marion shared fifth place at 880 (+16).
 
Augusta teammates Pieter Rossouw and Chapman Barnett shared medalist honors at 9-under-par 207, two shots clear of High Point's Jace Duckworth, who finished third at 209.
 
Western Carolina returns to action Sept. 13-15 as host of the J.T. Poston Invitational at Waynesville Inn & Golf Club. The Catamounts will look to build on last year's third-place finish, while defending individual champion Tyler Jones seeks to become the first two-time winner of the event across its history at both Waynesville Inn & Golf Club and the Country Club of Sapphire Valley.
 
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4 – Western Carolina – 291-291-286 = 868 (+4)
T8 – Jace Butcher – 70-74-69 = 213 (-3)
20 – Andrew Korytoski – 74-71-73 = 218 (+2)
T30– Charlie Coe – 71-72-79 = 222 (+6)
T32 – Connor Williams – 76-74-73 = 223 (+7)
T45 – Tyler Jones – 76-79-71 = 226 (+10)
 
WCU Individual Competitors
T8 – Brewer Lael – 73-71-69 = 213 (-3)
T32 – Michael Bevins – 74-73-76 = 223 (+7)
T53 – Connor Warren – 80-81-68 = 229 (+13)
T55 – Andrew Perry – 77-78-75 = 230 (+14)
T63 – Dalton Payne – 76-78-81 = 235 (+19)