LIVE RESULTS
 
WACO, Texas (SMU) – SMU women's golf occupies first place after one round of the NCAA Waco Regional at Ridgewood Country Club.

"Proud of the way our team adjusted to the changing wind and overall course conditions after the storms and heavy rainfall overnight, said fifth-year head coach Lauren Mason. "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."

 
The Mustangs came into the regional as the four seed, needing a spot in the top five after three rounds to advance to the NCAA Championship.  They played Monday's round as the only team under par with a three-under score. SMU has a three-shot edge on second place teams, Texas A&M and Oregon, both top 10 teams nationally. The Mustangs ended day one in front of a total of seven ranked teams.
 
Celine Chen sits one shot off the individual lead after an impressive day one. She holds a share of fourth place at three-under par. Chen tallied five birdies on her way to a 67. She shot a 32 on holes 1-9.
 
Grace Jin is one shot back of Chen in sixth place. Jin played bogey free on day one with a pair or birdies. Her opening round 68 gives her five straight rounds of par or better dating back to the Huntington Bank Collegiate.
 
Kirra St-Laurent and Emily Odwin shot 71s on Monday to sit in a tie for 12^th. St. Laurent rebounded after two bogeys in her first four holes to play one-under the rest of the round. Odwin lowered her season scoring average down to 71.66 with her competitive round.
 
One shot back, Mackenzie Lee carded a 72. Lee sits is a tie for 21^st, good for a top third placement.
 
The Mustangs return to the course for the middle round of the NCAA Waco Regional on Tuesday. They look to continue their strong play and their quest for a third NCAA Championship appearance in four years.

TEAM LEADERBOARD
1  SMU  -3
T2  Texas A&M  E
T2  Oregon  E
4  Tennessee  +2
5  Tulsa  +6
6  LSU  +7
7  Baylor  +8
8  Tarleton State  +10
9  Colorado  +12
10  TCU  +15
11  Northern Arizona  +16
12  Prairie View A&M  +39

SMU LEADERBOARD
T4 Celine Chen -3
6 Grace Jin -2
T12 Kirra St-Laurent +1
T12 Emily Odwin +1
T21 Mackenzie Lee +2