SAN ANTONIO- SMU's Kennedy Pedigo is tied for third place after the first day of play at the Maryb S. Kauth Invitational. Pedigo is one of three members of the women's golf team in the top-25 after the first two rounds of play.
 
"We're a young team, and we need to learn how to finish a little better on these 36-hole days," head coach Jeanne Sutherland said of her team that features three freshmen in the lineup. "We have a lot of talent on the team, and this is just part of their learning process."
 
Pedigo opened the 36-hole day with a 1-under 71 in the morning session, one of just three under-par rounds in the tournament Tuesday and tying for the 18-hole lead. After a 4-over 76 in the afternoon, when the winds started to pick up, she sits at +3, just one stroke off second place and five strokes behind tournament leader, Sofia Garcia of Texas Tech. Pedigo led the team with five birdies and 24 pars on Tuesday.
 
"Kennedy is playing really good golf lately," Sutherland added of her fourth-year player. "She went out there and had another good day today."
 
Pedigo has finished in the top-20 in her last two events, but has never finished a tournament in the top three. Her current career-best finish is a tie for fourth at the 2019 Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational.  
 
The Mustangs are fifth overall at +35. Host UTSA leads the tournament at +19.
 
Ashley Chow is in line for the best finish of her young career, tied for 23^rd at +10. Chow did well to avoid big numbers on Tuesday, where she was never worse than a bogey to shoot 76-78.
 
A stroke behind Chow at +11 is Serena Shah, who posted four birdies in the first day of play. Sitting in 25^th entering the final round, she is looking for the third top-25 finish of her career, and her first of the season. Shah used 79 strokes to get around the par 72 / 6,131-yard San Antonio Country Club in the morning session, then improved by three strokes to a 4-over 76 in the second round.
 
Megan Chou was the only player in the field to birdie the 175-yard par 3 11^th in the afternoon, where it played as the course's toughest hole. Chou is tied for 34^th at +15 after posting 81-78.
 
Nicole Vivier had an opening-round 77, and is tied for 40^th at +16. Katie James is competing as an individual and is alone in 49^th at +20.
 
The tournament's final round is Wednesday, with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Live scoring is available on Golfstat.