Cullowhee, N.C. –
Tyler Jones had just finished Thursday morning's strength and conditioning session with his Western Carolina men's golf teammates in the Ramsey Center weight room when head coach
Tim Eckberg gathered the team together.
What came next was the kind of news every college golfer dreams of hearing, but few ever experience.
Jones, the reigning Southern Conference Men's Golfer of the Year, has earned a sponsor exemption into the inaugural
Biltmore Championship Asheville, becoming the first active Catamount men's golfer to compete in a PGA TOUR event.
The exemption was awarded by Explore Asheville and Biltmore Estate following a breakthrough 2025-26 campaign that included three tournament victories, highlighted by an individual title at the J.T. Poston Invitational, held at the Waynesville Inn & Golf Club.
The historic Biltmore Championship Asheville is scheduled for Sept. 17-20 at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Design. The event marks the return of the PGA TOUR to the mountains of western North Carolina for the first time since 1942 and will feature coverage on Golf Channel, PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+, SiriusXM and the PGA TOUR World Feed.
Jones will also share the tournament field with Western Carolina alumnus and four-time PGA TOUR winner
J.T. Poston, creating a full-circle moment for a program that continues to rise on the national stage.
"This is a massive day for Tyler and for Catamount golf," said Eckberg. "I'm so excited for him and his family. As both the coach and an alumnus, it fills me with pride that, because of what J.T. has accomplished and because of the work these young men continue to put in, our program is being recognized for opportunities like this.
"A huge thank you goes to Biltmore and Explore Asheville for believing in Tyler and our program."
Program alumni Brett D. Miller and former Catamount head coach Gorham Bradley also praised Jones following the announcement, noting the rarity of exemptions being awarded to active collegiate golfers. Both joined a wave of congratulatory messages across social media as news of the invitation spread throughout the Catamount golf community.
The inaugural Biltmore Championship Asheville caps a remarkable stretch for golf in western North Carolina, coming just days after Western Carolina hosts another strong 16-team field at the annual J.T. Poston Invitational (Sept. 13-15) at Waynesville Inn & Golf Club.
The Catamount program now also has an active player preparing to tee it up alongside some of the world's best professionals.
Poston, a four-time TOUR winner and 2015 Western Carolina graduate currently ranked 32nd in the FedExCup standings, said Jones has earned the opportunity.
"I'm very excited for Tyler to get this opportunity to play in the Biltmore Championship," Poston said. "He represents WCU exceptionally well as a student-athlete. I know his dream is to play on the PGA TOUR, and now he'll get the opportunity to experience that firsthand.
"Tyler has the game to compete at the highest level, and I'm looking forward to seeing him during tournament week and having another Catamount inside the ropes."
Jones earned the opportunity following one of the most accomplished seasons in Catamount golf history.
In his first year at Western Carolina after transferring from Charlotte, the Jacksonville, N.C., native recorded three individual tournament victories, the most in the Southern Conference in 2025-26. He became just the fourth Catamount to earn Southern Conference Men's Golfer of the Year honors and the first since Poston captured the award in 2014.
Jones also tied the program record with four Southern Conference Men's Golfer of the Week honors and led the league with a 70.31 stroke average. The mark ranks second in program history behind only Poston's school-record 70.27 average in 2013-14.
"Tyler is an incredible talent, and he showed that throughout last season," Eckberg said. "But what makes him special is who he is as a teammate and leader. The wins, the top-five finishes and the Player of the Year honor all speak for themselves, but he's earned this opportunity because of the way he approaches his game every day.
"His game is ready for this next challenge."
The Biltmore Championship Asheville joins the FedExCup Fall schedule and represents the first PGA TOUR event contested in western North Carolina since the Asheville Land of the Sky Open, which was part of the TOUR from 1939-42. This year's championship will be the seventh PGA TOUR event held in Asheville.
"When the TOUR announced this event, I immediately hoped someone from our program would have a chance to be part of it," Eckberg said. "For Tyler to represent himself, his teammates, Western Carolina University and the generations of Catamount golfers who dreamed of playing on the PGA TOUR is incredibly special.
"And don't be surprised if he turns some heads while he's there."
Ticket and parking information for the Biltmore Championship Asheville is available at
BiltmoreChampionship.com.
Follow Western Carolina men's golf and all Catamount athletics on Facebook, Instagram (@wcu_catamounts), and X (@Catamounts, @CatamountMGolf).
