Waynesville, N.C. – Western Carolina senior Jace Butcher delivered a top-five finish at the 2026 JT Poston Invitational, matching his career-low round of 67 for the second straight day to finish tied for fourth on Tuesday at the Waynesville Inn & Golf Resort.
 
Butcher's second consecutive 4-under-par round helped him climb six spots on the final leaderboard and pace the Catamounts, who finished 10th in a highly competitive field after improving one position on the final day.
 
Starting on the back nine, the Kennesaw, Ga., native carded five birdies against just one bogey en route to another 67. He played his final eight holes of the tournament at 3-under par to move into a six-way tie for fourth.
 
Butcher led Western Carolina with 36 pars over the 54-hole event and finished tied for fifth in par-3 scoring at even par (3.00). His three-round total of 203 (-10) shattered his previous career-best 54-hole score of 208, which he had achieved twice previously.
 
Junior Tyler Jones, the tournament's defending individual champion, turned in one of Tuesday's biggest moves up the leaderboard. The Jacksonville, N.C., product fired a 5-under-par 66, climbing 34 spots to finish tied for 43rd at 1-under par for the tournament.

Jones totaled 13 birdies and one eagle during the event and tied for fifth among the field in par-5 scoring at 9-under par (4.25 average).
 
The strong finish comes at an opportune time for Jones, who is set to compete this week in the PGA TOUR's FedExCup Fall event, the Biltmore Championship Asheville. Competing on a sponsor exemption, the reigning Southern Conference Men's Golfer of the Year is scheduled to tee off Thursday at 9:10 a.m. as part of the 132-player field.
 
Rounding out the Catamounts' scoring five were junior transfer Connor Warren, who tied for 37th at 211 (-2), senior Andrew Korytoski, who tied for 76th at 218 (+5), and freshman Brewer Lael, who tied for 81st at 219 (+6) in his first JT Poston Invitational appearance.
 
South Carolina surged to the team title with a final-round 14-under-par 270, the second-lowest round in tournament history at the Waynesville Inn & Golf Resort. The Gamecocks finished at 31-under-par 821 to claim their second JT Poston Invitational championship and first since winning the event in 2021 at the beautiful Country Club of Sapphire Valley.
 
The Gamecocks overtook second-round leader NC State, which finished tied for second with Virginia Tech at 26-under-par 826. Defending champion Southern Miss climbed two spots into fourth at 828, while Lipscomb rounded out the top five at 831.
 
Southern Miss' Benjamin Fernandez earned medalist honors with a tournament-record 17-under-par 196. Fernandez posted rounds of 67, 65 and 64 to edge South Carolina's Tjelle Rieger, who matched the tournament's single-round record with a 62 on Tuesday and recorded a field-best 20 birdies over three rounds.
 
Sophomore Connor Williams led Western Carolina's 'B' team, jumping 16 spots on the final day into a tie for 43rd with a 54-hole total of 212 (-1). Williams closed with a bogey-free 69, recording two birdies and 16 pars. The score marked a new career-best 54-hole total, improving upon his previous low of 214 at last year's Peoples Championship at Sea Palms.
 
Classmate Charlie Coe tied for 81st after posting a second consecutive 72, while senior Michael Bevins finished 91st at 223 (+10). Andrew Perry placed 98th at 232 (+19), and Dalton Payne rounded out the lineup in 99th at 236 (+23).
 
Western Carolina returns to action Sept. 21-22 at the Highlands Invitational, hosted by ETSU and Wake Forest at Chicago Highlands Club in Westchester, Ill. The event features 36 holes on Monday followed by the final round on Tuesday.
 
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Western Carolina (10th, 842)
T4 – Jace Butcher – 68-67-67 = 203 (-10)
T37 – Connor Warren – 70-70-71 = 211 (-2)
T43 – Tyler Jones – 72-74-66 = 212 (-1)
T76 – Andrew Korytoski – 72-71-75 = 218 (+5)
T81 – Brewer Lael – 72-72-75 = 219 (+6)
 
Western Carolina 'B' Team (17th, 884)
T43 – Connor Williams – 68-75-69 = 212 (-1)
T81 – Charlie Coe – 75-72-72 = 219 (+6)
91 – Michael Bevins 79-70-74 = 223 (+10)
98 – Andrew Perry – 77-77-78 = 232 (+19)
99 – Dalton Payne = 83-75-78 = 236 (+23)