Therese Hession Regional Challenge
Palos Verdes Golf Club |  Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
Feb. 1-3, 2026
GAME NOTES  |  LIVE RESULTS

SMU women's golf begins its spring slate with the Therese Hession Regional Challenge hosted by Ohio State.
 
THERESE HESSION REGIONAL CHALLENGE
The 16 team field features all 16 teams ranked in the top 100 and 12 teams ranked in the top 50. The field includes Arizona State, Cal, Florida, Kansas, Miami (FL), Ohio State, Oregon, Pepperdine, South Carolina, SMU, San Jose State, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, UNLV and USC. Therese Hession, the tournament's name sake, was a part of SMU's 1979 National Championship team. She would go on to lead the Ohio State program as head coach.

CAREER SCORING
Three current Mustangs rank in the top five for SMU career scoring (45 min. rounds). Mackenzie Lee has a 71.50 mark ranking first, Emily Odwin ranks second with a 72.28, and Celine Chen ranks fifth with a 73.72.

SCORING AVERAGE - CAREER (Min. 45 Rds)  (SINCE 1993-94)

1.    Mackenzie Lee, 2022-            71.50
2.    Emily Odwin, 2024-                72.28
3.    Ellie Szeryk, 2022-24             72.52
4.    Jenny Haglund, 2013-16        73.55
5.    Celine Chen, 2024-                73.72
6.    Brigitte Dunne, 2016-19         74.01
7.    Faith Summers, 2017-20       74.81
8.    Lindsey McCurdy, 2014-17    74.90
9.    Ashley Chow, 2020-23           75.14
10.    Kennedy Pedigo, 2018-22    75.21
11.    June Song, 2023-25             75.31
12.    Kenzie Wright, 2017-18        75.49
13.    Alexandra Rossi, 2013-16    75.65
14.    Lacey Jones, 2005-08          75.72
15.    Jennifer Park, 2013-15         75.96



 
PRESEASON RANKINGS
Under fifth year head coach Lauren Mason, the Mustangs come in at No. 27 in Golfweek's preseason rankings. The team returns 94% of their rounds of par or better and 74% of their birdies from last year's team. In 2024-25, the Mustangs made their third straight trip to the NCAA Regional. The Mustangs are currently ranked No. 31 by Scoreboard.
 
ODWIN BARBADOS FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Emily Odwin, in the midst of her senior season at SMU, was named Barbados Female Athlete of the Year by the governing body. She became the first golfer in the islands history to qualify for the US Women's Open.
 
AUSTRALIAN MASTER OF THE AMATEURS
All three Mustangs who played in the tournament made the cut at the prestigious Australian Master of the Amateurs tournament, Celine Chen, Kirra St-Laurent and Yoonjeong Huh. Chen finished in the top six.
 
GRACE JIN
Jin was named 2025 Texas Women's Player of the Year by the Texas Golf Association. She won the 104^th Women's Texas Amateur earlier in 2025.
 
ODWIN SUCCESSFUL WINTER
Emily Odwin finished as runner up at the last two tournaments she participated in. She made the playoff at the South American Amateur Championship after posting her strong showing at the Latin American Amateur Championship as well.

EMILY ODWIN PLAYS IN US WOMEN'S OPEN
Emily Odwin became the first Barbados-born golfer to play in a US Open. She advanced past qualifying with a 139 in the two-round US Women's Open Presented By Ally Qualifier. Odwin's historic achievement followed a season where she posted a 72.40 scoring average.

LPGA PREQUALIFYING
Emily Odwin advanced to the final stage of qualifying at the LPGA Tour Q Series last week. Odwin advanced past two previous stages of qualifying to reach the final.
 
ANNIKA AWARD WATCH LIST:
Mackenzie Lee was one of just 25 golfers named to the ANNIKA Award Watch List. The award is given to the top female golfer in the country. Lee has eight SMU records in her three previous seasons on the Hilltop.
 
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
Mackenzie Lee was named second-team preseason All-American by Golfweek. Lee was also named All-American honorable mention for her performance last season.
 
 
MACKENZIE LEE WINS NORTH SOUTH AMATEUR
Mackenzie Lee outlasted 120 of the best amateur golfers in the country to win the prestigious North South Amateur. She won five rounds of match play to complete the title.
 
US WOMEN'S AMATEUR
Mackenzie Lee and newcomer Grace Jin both earned qualification into the US Women's Amateur over the Summer. Lee made the match play round of 64.
 
WORLD AMATEUR GOLF RANKINGS
Four Mustangs are ranked in the top 325 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings. Mackenzie Lee comes in at No. 39 in the world, Emily Odwin comes in at No. 87, Celine Chen is No. 251 and Grace Jin is ranked No. 325.
 
 
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
MACKENZIE LEE
Mackenzie Lee is coming off an All-ACC and All-American season. She broke the SMU single-season scoring record, a record which Lee already held. She holds eight SMU records entering her senior season. The North Little Rock, Arkansas native posted a 71.67 scoring average her first season, 71.32 in her next and 71.31 in her junior. She sits at 71.50 for her career after eight rounds this season. She has 22 top 10 finishes with a best finish of tied for second several times. She recently crossed the 400 birdie plateau for her career. Lee registered her 28^th top 20 finish at the Illini Women's Invitational.

EMILY ODWIN
Odwin came to SMU in the spring of 2024 immediately making an impact on the Mustangs. She posted a 72.54 scoring average her first season and helped the Mustangs reach the NCAA Championship. Last season, she averaged 72.40 with four top 10 finishes including the NCAA Regional. Her career scoring mark of 72.28 ranks second at SMU for golfers with a minimum of 45 rounds. She finished in the top 20 at the Windy City Classic and followed that with a seventh-place showing at the Illini Women's Invitational. She leads the team in scoring average this season.
 
CELINE CHEN
Chen averaged 73.54 in 2024-25, good for 13^th best in a single season by a Mustang. She averaged 71.29, during a stretch in the middle of the season, helping the Mustangs post their best finish of the season during the run. She has three career eagles at SMU ranking ninth as a Mustang. Her career scoring average of 73.72 ranks fifth best at SMU (min 45 rounds).
 
YOONJEONG HUH
Huh has made one appearance as a Mustang during her junior season after transferring from Baylor. She has a scoring average of 81 and a low round of 78.
 
KIRRA ST-LAURENT
St-Laurent joined the Mustangs in the spring of 2026 as a freshman. She will be making her Mustang debut at the tournament.
LAST SEASON
The Mustangs registered three top finishes in 2024-25. They posted the third lowest scoring average in program history. They recorded 13 top 10 finishes individually with all 13 coming from returning Mustangs (Lee-6, Odwin-4, Chen-3). The team advanced to the NCAA Regional where they placed in eighth. Lee was named all-conference for her record-breaking season.