Waynesville, N.C. – Senior
Jace Butcher climbed 10 spots on the leaderboard Monday, pacing Western Carolina men's golf in a four-way tie for 10th place after 36 of the scheduled 54 holes at the 2026 JT Poston Invitational, hosted by the Catamounts at the par-71, 6,735-yard Waynesville Inn and Golf Club.
After opening with a 2-under par 69, Butcher fired a second-round 4-under 67 to move into the tournament's top 10. The Kennesaw, Ga., native carded a bogey-free opening round with two birdies before battling through a roller-coaster start Monday. He offset three bogeys with three birdies over his opening nine holes, then surged up the leaderboard with four birdies and five pars over his final nine holes.
Butcher has also been one of WCU's steadiest players in the tournament, recording a team-best 24 pars through two rounds.
Western Carolina's scoring five slipped one spot into 11th place after Monday's second round and sits just one stroke outside the top 10 entering Tuesday's final round. The Catamount 'B' team is 17th overall.
Junior
Connor Warren remains under par for the tournament after posting his second consecutive 1-under round of 70. Although he slid four spots into a tie for 32nd, Warren ranks tied for third in the field in par-3 scoring at 1-under par (2.90). Senior
Andrew Korytoski carded an even-par 71 and is tied for 59th at 1-over par through 36 holes. Warren and Korytoski share the team lead with 10 birdies apiece.
Rounding out the Catamount lineup, freshman
Brewer Lael is tied for 67th at 2-over par (144), while defending tournament champion
Tyler Jones sits tied for 77th at 4-over par (146).
For the Catamount 'B' squad, sophomore
Connor Williams continues to lead the way despite dropping into a tie for 59th after a second-round 75. Williams opened the tournament with a 3-under 68 and enters Tuesday's final round at 1-over par overall.
Classmate
Charlie Coe shaved three strokes off his first-round score with an even-par 72 and is tied for 85th at 147. Senior
Michael Bevins made one of the day's biggest moves, climbing eight spots into a tie for 90th after a 1-under par 70 that featured four birdies. Bevins now has six birdies for the tournament.
Transfer
Andrew Perry is 98th at 154, while senior
Dalton Payne is 100th at 158.
Gallery: (9-14-2026) 2026 JT Poston Invite - Monday, Round 2
NC State moved into first place Monday by improving four strokes from its opening-round total. The Wolfpack enter Tuesday's final round at 26-under par 542, holding a four-stroke advantage over Lipscomb and Virginia Tech, which are tied for second at 546. South Carolina and Elon share fourth place at 551, nine shots off the lead.
On the individual leaderboard, Virginia Tech's Benjamin Baker and Elon's Drew Yeagley are tied for first at 13-under par 129. The duo holds a three-stroke cushion over UTRGV's Gabriel Dulon Villoslada and Benjamin Fernandez of Southern Miss, who are tied for third at 132.
Final-round play begins Tuesday at 9 a.m. with tee times off both Nos. 1 and 10. Paired with golfers from Drexel, Kennesaw State and Wofford, Western Carolina's five scorers begin from the 10th tee at 9 a.m. The Catamount 'B' team will also begin at 9 a.m., with two players starting on No. 10 and three teeing off from No. 1.
Tuesday's final round of the 2026 JT Poston Invitational is free and open to the public.
Live scoring is available through the Scoreboard app and at CatamountSports.com.
Western Carolina (11th, 563)
T10 –
Jace Butcher – 69-67 = 136 (-6)
T32 –
Connor Warren – 70-70 = 140 (-2)
T59 –
Andrew Korytoski – 72-71 = 143 (+1)
T67 –
Brewer Lael – 72-72 = 144 (+2)
T77 –
Tyler Jones – 72-74 = 146 (+4)
Western Carolina 'B' Team (17th, 591)
T59 –
Connor Williams – 68-75 = 143 (+1)
T85 –
Charlie Coe – 75-72 = 147 (+5)
T90 –
Michael Bevins – 79-70 = 149 (+7)
98 –
Andrew Perry – 77-77 = 154 (+12)
100 –
Dalton Payne – 83-75 = 158 (+16)
