Cullowhee, NC – Western Carolina men’s golf and head coach Tim Eckberg today announced a 10-event seasonal schedule that includes four tournaments in the fall semester and six in the spring. The Catamounts are hosting a pair of events including the JT Poston Intercollegiate in late September and the Sea Palms Intercollegiate in Georgia in March 2023.
Opening in mid-September in the Midwest, the Catamounts 2022-23 schedule includes 10 total tournaments – four in the fall and six in the spring semester – and culminates with the 2023 Southern Conference Men’s Golf Championship for the league champion crowning event. The tournament winner garners the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA regional field.
“I’m very excited about how this year’s schedule came together,” said Eckberg, who is entering his eighth season as the head coach at his alma mater. “We have a great mix of strong events that will have us traveling all over the country to play against some of the best. The schedule features events hosted by Big Ten and Big 12 schools that will test us. Mix in the Border Olympics, a historic event that has been going on for over 70 years – and one I have been trying for years to get us in – and events located at courses that I absolutely love, like Disney’s Palm and the Country Club of Spartanburg.”
He added, “Of course, our highlight is hosting the JT Poston Invitational at the incredible Country Club of Sapphire Valley where we will welcome 16 other programs to the mountain, continuing the trend of this being one of the best mid-major events in the country. Our spring event at Sea Palms takes its next step this year as we will welcome 20 other programs to the beach to put on a great show.”
The Catamounts open the 2022 fall schedule at the Badger Invitational hosted by the University of Wisconsin at its home venue, University Ridge. The 7,289-yard course was ranked No. 2 in the nation among the best collegiate golf courses by Golf Pass. This year marks the second time WCU has competed at Wisconsin’s tournament, first making the trek to Madison back in 2015.
September concludes with WCU hosting the 2022 JT Poston Invitational at the beautiful Country Club of Sapphire Valley on Sept. 26-27. This year marks the 16th season overall that WCU and CCSV have combined to host an intercollegiate men’s golf tournament, beginning the partnership with the generous membership and management back in the 2004-05 season.
A pair of events in October open with a return to the Carolina Collegiate Invitational, co-hosted by Wofford and USC Upstate at the Carolina Country Club Oct. 9-11. The Catamounts finished tied for seventh at the tournament a season ago. Two weeks later, the fall semester schedule concludes with a return to the Upstate for the Furman Intercollegiate hosted at the Furman University Golf Course Oct. 22-23. WCU last competed in the Paladins’ home event back in March of 2021.
The six-event spring semester schedule opens with WCU competing for the first time in the Border Olympics University Golf Tournament on Feb. 13-14. First contested back in 1952, The Border Olympics is held at the Laredo Country Club in Texas with the Catamounts making their first-ever appearance in the event. February concludes with WCU traveling to the Sunshine State and Disney’s Palm Golf Course in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., for the Mickey Mouse Intercollegiate hosted by Bellarmine University.
For a third-consecutive season, Western Carolina opens the month of March by hosting the Sea Palms Invitational in St. Simons Island, Ga. The three-round, 54-hole tournament will be spread over three days, March 9-11. The Catamounts finished tied for sixth two years ago and were in a tie for ninth at last spring’s event.
Three tournaments in April open with the Wofford Invitational, March 9-11 at the Country Club of Spartanburg. WCU finished 10th at last spring’s event. WCU then heads to the Mountaineer Invitational hosted by West Virginia at the Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport, W.Va. The facility ranked 87th on Golf Digest’s ranking of America’s 100 greatest courses and was 33rd on Golfweek’s ranking of the Best Modern Courses.
The regular-season schedule concludes with the 2023 Southern Conference Men’s Golf Championship which returns to the Reynolds Lake Oconee for a second consecutive year. The Catamounts came home fourth last season with three golfers among the top 16 finishers overall.
“Top to bottom, this is the best schedule we have put together in my time at WCU, and I can’t wait to see what our new faces and returning upperclassmen do each week,” said Eckberg.
Western Carolina men’s golf returns four from last year’s roster led by a fifth-year senior Louis Theysrising seniors Magnus Pedersen spirit Quinton Metzand sophomore Kiefer Bulau. Among WCU’s newcomers are fifth-year graduate transfers Adam Hooker (Lebanon, Va.), redshirt junior transfer Pablo Hernandez (Madrid, Spain), sophomore transfer Ryan Thomas (Launceston, Tasmania, Australia), and redshirt freshman Josh Lendach (Raleigh, NC).
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).
Western Carolina Men’s Golf – 2022-23 Schedule
Fall 2022
September 11-13 – Badger Invitational – University Ridge (Madison, Wis.)
September 26-27 – JT Poston Invitational – CC of Sapphire Valley (Sapphire, NC)
October 9-11 – Carolina Collegiate Invitational – Carolina CC (Spartanburg, SC)
October 22-23 – Furman Intercollegiate – Furman University GC (Greenville, SC)
Spring 2023
February 13-14 – Border Olympics University Golf Tournament – Laredo CC (Laredo, Texas)
February 19-21 – Mickey Mouse Intercollegiate – Disney Palm (Lake Buena Vista, Fla.)
March 9-11 – Sea Palms Invitational – Sea Palms Resort (St. Simons Island, Ga.)
April 3-4 – Wofford Invitational – CC of Spartanburg (Spartanburg, SC)
April 17-18 – Mountaineer Invitational – Pete Dye GC (Bridgeport, W.Va.)
April 23-25 – 2023 SoCon Men’s Golf Championship – Reynolds Lake Oconee (Greensboro, Ga.)