LIVE RESULTS  WATCH
 
WACO, Texas (SMU) – SMU women's golf extended its lead at the NCAA Waco Regional with all five Mustangs sitting in the top 11.

"Really proud of the way our team competed today," said fifth year head coach Lauren Mason. "To post the low round of the day at 11-under par and put ourselves in this position heading into the final round is a testament to the preparation, trust, and resilience of this group." 

"Having Associate Head Coach Carly Ludwig's course knowledge and expertise has been a huge advantage for us this week," added Mason. "The way she's helped our team navigate the golf course and manage their games has been incredibly valuable."

"What's exciting is I still don't think we've seen our best collective performance yet." concluded Mason. "We were very close to having everyone firing at the same time today, and that's what makes this team so dangerous. The best is still ahead of us, and we're looking forward to embracing the opportunity tomorrow and finishing what we started at the beginning of the event."

The Mustangs came into the day with a three-shot lead over Texas A&M and Oregon, both top 10 teams in the country. The Mustangs shot 11-under during the middle round to extend their lead to eight strokes over Texas A&M. The Mustangs sit 19 shots clear of the final advancing spot, needing a spot in the top five to move on to the NCAA Championship. The 269 posted by the Mustangs on Tuesday was the second-lowest round in program history after a 265 at the 2023-24 Jim West Challenge.
 
Kirra St-Laurent posted the fourth lowest round in Mustang history with a 64 on the middle day. Her lowest career round came after she was one over through seven holes. She posted seven birdies in her final 11 holes to move into a tie for first place, up from 12^th where she started the day.
 
Grace Jin and Celine Chen are among those tied for sixth at two under. Jin posted an even par round on Tuesday, her sixth straight round of par or better.  She posted a 33 on the front nine. Chen carded a 71 on day two with a three-birdie day. Chen posted a 67 in round one.

Emily Odwin shot a 68 playing the final 10 holes three-under to sit in a tie for 11th. She is in search of her sixth top 10 of the season. Odwin lowered her season scoring average to 71.55, tops on the team.
 
Also in 11^th, Mackenzie Lee had a strong round with a 67 in round two. She didn't bogey on the day with a 34 on the front nine and a 33 on the back nine. She moved up 11 spots during her round. Lee lowered her SMU record career scoring mark to 71.48 with her 89^th round of par or better.
 
The Mustangs look to punch their ticket to the NCAA Championship on Wednesday. They'll need a spot in the top five to secure their third trip to the NCAA Championship in the last four seasons.
 
TEAM LEADERBOARD
1  SMU  -14
2  Texas A&M  -6
3  LSU  -1
4  Oregon  +3
T5  Baylor  +6
T5  Tulsa  +6
7  Tennessee  +8
8  TCU  +11
9  Tarleton State  +21
10  Colorado  +22
11  Prairie View A&M  +59
12  Northern Arizona  +N/A
 
SMU LEADERBOARD
T1 Kirra St-Laurent -5
T6 Grace Jin -2
T6 Celine Chen -2
T11 Emily Odwin -1
T11 Mackenzie Lee -1