Strong Close Lifts WCU Men’s Golf to Third at Elon Invitational

By Daniel Hooker

Press Release

Burlington, N.C. – Western Carolina men's golf closed the fall portion of its schedule with its best finish of the season Tuesday, placing third at the Elon Phoenix Invitational as all five members of its scoring lineup carded final rounds of even-par or better, helping the Catamounts finish at 23-under-par as a team.

The Catamounts posted a 54-hole score of 829 (275-277-277), finishing just five strokes shy of second place and six shots clear of fourth-place Presbyterian. The 829 total also ranked as the third-lowest 54-hole score in program history, trailing only the school-record 822 at the 2023 Golfweek Fall Challenge and an 825 at the 2021 EKU Intercollegiate.

Jace Butcher recorded his third-consecutive round in the 60s, firing a second-straight 3-under-par 68 to climb four spots into a tie for 11th and lead the Catamounts. Andrew Korytoski followed in a tie for 15th to help fuel Western Carolina's top-three finish.

Butcher offset three bogeys with six birdies during Tuesday's final round. The Kennesaw, Ga., native battled through two bogeys over his first six holes before responding with four birdies over his next six to move to 2-under. After a third bogey, he closed the tournament with birdies on two of his final three holes to post the 3-under-par score.

Butcher paced the field with a tournament-best 20 birdies and tied for third in par-4 scoring at 6-under-par (3.82).

Korytoski, who led the Catamounts through the opening 36 holes, carded four birdies and four bogeys Tuesday for an even-par 71. He tied for first in par-5 scoring at 9-under-par (4.00), tallying seven birdies and an eagle on the tournament's longest holes. His second-round 64 matched five others for the third-lowest round in WCU history.

Tyler Jones made the biggest move up the leaderboard for Western Carolina, climbing 15 positions into a tie for 67th after posting his best round of the tournament, a 1-under-par 70. Jones recorded 15 pars and two birdies against just one bogey.

Andrew Perry advanced nine spots into a tie for 26th with a career-low round as a Catamount, shooting 2-under-par 69. The Fuquay-Varina, N.C., transfer totaled seven birdies while overcoming five bogeys during an eventful final round.

Connor Warren rounded out WCU's scoring five, moving up five positions into a tie for 30th at 2-under-par 211. The transfer carded two birdies and an eagle against three bogeys to finish with a 1-under-par 70.

Competing as an individual, Charlie Coe surged 19 spots into a tie for 26th with a career-low final-round 68. Coe matched his tournament high with five birdies while limiting the damage to just two bogeys. Connor Williams finished tied for 78th overall after recording his eighth birdie of the tournament on Tuesday.

Campbell rallied past host Elon to win the team championship with a tournament score of 820, four strokes ahead of the Phoenix at 824. Western Carolina's 829 was good for third, followed by Presbyterian (835) and Appalachian State (836).

Wake Forest individual Tom Haberer claimed medalist honors with a 54-hole total of 196, edging Campbell's Benjamin Killingstad by one stroke. UNC-Chapel Hill individual Ethan Paschal vaulted into third place with a tournament-closing 63 and a 54-hole score of 199.

Tuesday's final round concluded Western Carolina's fall schedule. The Catamounts return to competition Feb. 2-3 at the Sea Best Invitational, hosted by Jacksonville at Atlantic Beach Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla.

3 – Western Carolina – 275 – 277 – 277 = 829 (-23)

T11 – Jace Butcher – 69-68-68 = 205 (-8)

T15 – Andrew Korytoski – 71-64-71 = 206 (-7)

T26 – Andrew Perry – 70-71-69 = 210 (-3)

T30 – Connor Warren – 67-74-70 = 211 (-2)

T67 – Tyler Jones – 69-77-70 = 216 (+3)

T26 – Charlie Coe (ind.) – 70-72-68 = 210 (-3)

T78 – Connor Williams (ind.) – 72-71-75 = 218 (+5)