SMU women’s golf took the lead on May 11 after the first round of the NCAA Waco Regional at Ridgewood Country Club.
The Mustangs started as the four seed in the regional and finished Monday’s round as the only team under par, recording a three-under score. They hold a three-shot advantage over Texas A&M and Oregon, both ranked in the top ten nationally. The Mustangs are ahead of seven ranked teams after day one.
Fifth-year head coach Lauren Mason said, “Proud of the way our team adjusted to the changing wind and overall course conditions after the storms and heavy rainfall overnight. We still have a long way to go, but it was great to see us come out of the gate with a solid first round. There are still a few things we can clean up, and I am hopeful we can keep the momentum going throughout the rest of the championship.”
Individually, Chen is one shot off the lead at three-under par with five birdies for a score of 67, sharing fourth place. Jin is one shot behind Chen in sixth place with an opening round 68 and has played five straight rounds at par or better dating back to another tournament. St. Laurent and Odwin each posted scores of 71 to tie for twelfth; St. Laurent recovered from two early bogeys while Odwin lowered her season scoring average to 71.66.
Lee carded a 72 for twenty-first place, putting all SMU players within striking distance heading into Tuesday’s second round as they aim for their third NCAA Championship appearance in four years.
