Katie James
Photo by: Wisconsin Athletics
Women's Golf Tied for Second After Badger Invitational First Round
Sep 19 | Women's Golf
VERONA, Wisconsin- SMU's women's golf team is tied for second after the first round of the Badger Invitational, the first competition round under newly-hired head coach Lauren Mason. SMU's Serena Shah fired a 1-under 71, and is tied for fourth.
At +3, the Mustangs are eight strokes back of tournament leader and host Wisconsin at -5, and tied with Grand Canyon. SMU is at least three strokes up on the rest of the 12-team field, which includes seven squads from Power 6 conferences.
"We got off to a great start in round one," Mason said. "You can't win a tournament on the first day, but you can play your way out of it. We've got some areas to improve upon, but it was a very solid start."
"We stayed in the moment, and we have a great game plan that we'll stick to tomorrow," Mason added.
The Mustangs led the field with 16 birdies, and co-led the field with a +1 score on the five par 3s at the par 72 / 6,302-yard University Ridge Golf Course.
Shah picked up her form from the end of the 2021 season, where she finished top-20 in three of her last four events, and was never in black numbers Sunday after two birdies to start the tournament and the season. Shah matched the tournament-lead with five birdies, and is four shots behind the first-round leader, Iowa's Paula Miranda at -5.
Katie James battled back from a bogey-double start to play her last 15 holes in a bogey-free -3, and turned in an even-par 72, her best round in a collegiate tournament since her freshman season in 2018-19. James sits in a tie for seventh on the leaderboard.
SMU's returning AAC All-Conference pick, Kennedy Pedigo, had four birdies on the way to an opening-round 73, putting her in the tie for 14th at +1. Pedigo is looking for her sixth top-15 finish in her last eight stroke play events, a span that includes the medal portion of the U.S. Women's Amateur and the AAC Championship.
Ashley Chow began her sophomore campaign playing her first nine in even par before settling with a 3-over 75, good to sit in the tie for 25th. Chow picked up birdies on two of her first four holes. Megan Chou birdied two of the five par 3s, and is tied for 48th at +6 after a 78 on Sunday.
The Mustangs return for the second of three rounds at 10:10 a.m. on Monday. Live scoring is available on Golfstat.
At +3, the Mustangs are eight strokes back of tournament leader and host Wisconsin at -5, and tied with Grand Canyon. SMU is at least three strokes up on the rest of the 12-team field, which includes seven squads from Power 6 conferences.
"We got off to a great start in round one," Mason said. "You can't win a tournament on the first day, but you can play your way out of it. We've got some areas to improve upon, but it was a very solid start."
"We stayed in the moment, and we have a great game plan that we'll stick to tomorrow," Mason added.
The Mustangs led the field with 16 birdies, and co-led the field with a +1 score on the five par 3s at the par 72 / 6,302-yard University Ridge Golf Course.
Shah picked up her form from the end of the 2021 season, where she finished top-20 in three of her last four events, and was never in black numbers Sunday after two birdies to start the tournament and the season. Shah matched the tournament-lead with five birdies, and is four shots behind the first-round leader, Iowa's Paula Miranda at -5.
Katie James battled back from a bogey-double start to play her last 15 holes in a bogey-free -3, and turned in an even-par 72, her best round in a collegiate tournament since her freshman season in 2018-19. James sits in a tie for seventh on the leaderboard.
SMU's returning AAC All-Conference pick, Kennedy Pedigo, had four birdies on the way to an opening-round 73, putting her in the tie for 14th at +1. Pedigo is looking for her sixth top-15 finish in her last eight stroke play events, a span that includes the medal portion of the U.S. Women's Amateur and the AAC Championship.
Ashley Chow began her sophomore campaign playing her first nine in even par before settling with a 3-over 75, good to sit in the tie for 25th. Chow picked up birdies on two of her first four holes. Megan Chou birdied two of the five par 3s, and is tied for 48th at +6 after a 78 on Sunday.
The Mustangs return for the second of three rounds at 10:10 a.m. on Monday. Live scoring is available on Golfstat.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
Sunday, September 27
Sunday, September 27
Sunday, September 27
Sunday, September 27
