Benjamin Fernandez Paces Golden Eagles to Tie for Fifth at JT Poston Invitational

Sunday, September 13

Waynesville, N.C.

Southern Miss

Western Carolina

Benjamin Fernandez Paces Golden Eagles to Tie for Fifth at JT Poston Invitational

9/13/2026 5:55:00 PM | Men's Golf

WAYNESVILLE, N.C. — Benjamin Fernandez paced Southern Miss in its season opener at the JT Poston Invitational. Fernandez concluded round one in a tie for eighth place at the Waynesville Inn and Golf Club, while Southern Miss finished in a tie for fifth place.

Benjamin Fernandez opened his senior year campaign with a fiery start, shooting a four-under 67, tallying five birdies and an eagle on the 18th hole. The Paraguay native led the field alongside Marek Fleming of South Carolina on par-5 holes averaging 3.75 strokes.

Jake Moffitt and Matthew Javier both carded one-under 70 rounds, combining for nine birdies. Moffitt had an even-par front nine and tallied three birdies in the back nine to go under par. Javier carded three birdies on the front nine for one-under par and held steady through the back nine, with the pair tying for 28th place.

Franco Fernandez and John Markow made their collegiate debuts, with Franco Fernandez carding an even-par 71 and Markow carding a two-over 73. Franco Fernandez followed his brother, Benjamin's lead, closing out his first round with an eagle on the 18th hole. Markow logged three birdies, two of which came from par-5 holes on the back nine. Supakorn Amornchaichan finished his day tied for 67th in the individual category with a two-over 73 and was tied for 11th in pars, having carded 13 pars on the day.

Southern Miss finished the day tied with Lipscomb at six-under par, trailing Virginia Tech, which leads the field at 12-under par, followed by N.C. State, UTRGV and South Carolina to round out the top five.

Round two will be played tomorrow starting at 9 a.m. with live scoring available by CLICKING HERE.

Individual Leaderboard

T8. Benjamin Fernandez | 67 (-4)

T28. Jake Moffitt | 70 (-1)

T28. Matthew Javier | 70 (-1)

T41. Franco Fernandez | 71 (E)

T67. John Markow | 73 (+2)

T67. Supakorn Amornchaichan (IND) | 73 (+2)

Team Leaderboard

1. Virginia Tech

2. N.C. State

3. UTRGV