Cullowhee, N.C. – Riding its best team round of the tournament and a trio of strong individual performances, Western Carolina men's golf climbed into ninth place on Tuesday as the Catamounts wrapped up play at the 2026 Badger Invitational at University Ridge Golf Course.
 
Leading the charge was Tyler Jones, who capped a steady ascent up the individual leaderboard with an even-par 72. The Jacksonville, N.C., native climbed 10 spots in the final standings to tie for 23rd overall at 1-under-par 217.
 
Jones offset three bogeys with three birdies over his final 18 holes and closed his round with four consecutive pars. He also finished tied for eighth in the field in par-5 scoring at 7-under-par (4.53 average), recording nine birdies and an eagle across the 54-hole tournament.
 
Three Catamounts improved their position in the final standings on Tuesday, highlighted by Connor Williams, who made the largest move of the day. The Clemmons, N.C., product fired a final-round 2-under-par 70, vaulting 21 spots into a tie for 46th overall.
 
Williams' round was fueled by a bogey-free card that included 16 pars. After making the turn at even par, he birdied the par-5 second hole and later added his seventh birdie of the tournament to finish at 2-under. He closed the event tied for fourth in the field with a team-best 38 pars.
 
Jace Butcher, who shared the first-round lead after opening with a career-low 66, finished tied for 29th overall with a three-round score of 218. His opening-round 66 matched the lowest 18-hole score recorded in this year's tournament field.
 
Senior Andrew Korytoski rounded out the Catamount scoring contingent, carding a final-round 2-over-par 74 to finish tied for 46th. He added two birdies on Tuesday to bring his tournament total to nine.
 
Connor Warren also turned in his best round of the week, firing a 1-under-par 71 behind five birdies. The effort moved him up the leaderboard and into 79th place overall while counting to help Western Carolina secure the top-10 finish.
 
As a team, the Catamounts posted a final-round 287, their lowest score of the tournament, to finish ninth overall with a 54-hole total of 868 (+4).
 
Southern Miss surged to the team title behind a final-round 277, finishing at 841 to hold off South Dakota State by six strokes. Tournament host Wisconsin rallied into a tie for third with Western Kentucky at 855, while St. Thomas (Minn.) rounded out the top five.
 
Individually, Jake Moffitt captured medalist honors with a tournament-recording score of 202, closing with his second 5-under-par 67 of the week. Cole Witherow finished second at 205, with Colton Woosley third at 206.
 
Western Carolina now turns its attention to its final event of the fall schedule, traveling to Burlington, N.C., for the Phoenix Intercollegiate, hosted by Elon at Alamance Country Club on Oct. 12-13.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount men's golf and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountMGolf).
 
9 – Western Carolina – 292 – 289 – 287 = 868 (+4)
T23 – Tyler Jones – 75-70-72 = 217 (+1)
T29 – Jace Butcher – 66-74-78 = 218 (+2)
T46 – Connor Williams – 76-74-70 = 220 (+4)
T46 – Andrew Korytoski – 75-71-74 = 220 (+4)
79 – Connor Warren – 78-77-71 = 226 (+10)