Waynesville, N.C. – Senior Jace Butcher fired a bogey-free 2-under-par 69 on Sunday to lead Western Carolina's scoring team into 10th place after the opening round of the 2026 JT Poston Invitational at par-71, 6,735-yard Waynesville Inn & Golf Club.
 
The Catamounts posted a team score of 1-under-par 283 through the first 18 holes of the 54-hole event on their home course. Butcher enters Monday's second round tied for 20th individually, six shots off the tournament lead.
 
Competing for Western Carolina's "B" team, Connor Williams turned in the best round among the 10 Catamount golfers in the field. Williams carded a 3-under-par 68 to move into a tie for 12th place individually and pace the second squad.
 
Butcher's steady opening round featured birdies on the par-4 first and par-5 10th holes, along with a tournament-best 16 pars. Williams was more aggressive, recording six birdies against three bogeys. After making the turn at 2-under, Williams slipped back to even par with bogeys on Nos. 10 and 15 before finishing in style with three consecutive birdies over his final three holes.
 
Behind Butcher, Connor Warren used five birdies to post a 1-under-par 70 and sits tied for 28th. The remainder of the Catamount scoring lineup is tied for 57th place at 1-over-par 72, including defending tournament champion Tyler Jones, senior Andrew Korytoski, and freshman Brewer Lael.
 
For Western Carolina's "B" team, Charlie Coe is tied for 82nd at 4-over 75, followed by Andrew Perry in a tie for 94th at 6-over 77. Seniors Michael Bevins and Dalton Payne round out the lineup at 8-over 79 and 12-over 83, respectively.
 
Virginia Tech leads the 17-team field after posting a first-round 12-under-par 272, one stroke ahead of NC State. UTRGV sits third at 10-under 274, followed by South Carolina in fourth at 7-under 277. Lipscomb and defending champion Southern Miss are tied for fifth at 6-under 278.
 
Virginia Tech's Benjamin Baker holds the individual lead after firing an 8-under-par 63, tying the second-lowest individual round in tournament history. Elon's Drew Yeagley is second at 6-under 65, while five players share third place.
 
Second-round play begins Monday at 9 a.m. with tee times off both the first and 10th tees. Western Carolina's "B" team opens play at 9 a.m. from No. 1, while the Catamount scoring five begins its round at 9:36 a.m.
 
The JT Poston Invitational is free and open to the public. Live scoring is available through the Scoreboard app and at CatamountSports.com.
 

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Team Standings (After Round 1)
1 – Virginia Tech – 272 (-12)
2 – NC State – 273 (-11)
3 – UTRGV – 274 (-10)
4 – South Carolina – 277 (-7)
T5 – Lipscomb – 278 (-6)
T5 – Southern Miss – 278 (-6)
T7 – Wisconsin – 279 (-5)
T7 – Elon – 279 (-5)
9 – Kennesaw State – 280 (-4)
10 – Western Carolina 'A' – 283 (-1)
T11 – Drexel – 285 (+1)
T11 – Wofford – 285 (+1)
T13 – Middle Tennessee – 286 (+2)
T13 – James Madison – 286 (+2)
15 – Francis Marion – 290 (+6)
16 – Jacksonville – 293 (+9)
17 – Western Carolina 'B' (+15)
 
Western Carolina 'A' –  (10th, 283)
T20 – Jace Butcher – 69 (-2)
T28 – Connor Warren – 70 (-1)
T57 – Tyler Jones – 72 (+1)
T57 – Andrew Korytoski – 72 (+1)
T57 – Brewer Lael – 72 (+1)
 
Western Carolina 'B' – (17th, 299)
T12 – Connor Williams – 68 (-3)
T82 – Charlie Coe – 75 (+4)
T94 – Andrew Perry – 77 (+6)
98 – Michael Bevins – 79 (+8)
100 – Dalton Payne – 83 (+12)
 
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