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CARLSBAD, Calif. (SMU) – SMU women's golf ended day one of the NCAA Women's Golf Championship in a tie for eighth place at Omni La Costa Resort.
 

"Solid first round," said fifth-year head coach Lauren Mason. "Conditions were tougher this afternoon. We have three players making their first national championship appearance. We are right in the mix and are excited to get after it tomorrow with an early morning tee time."

The Mustangs started their journey at the NCAA Championship with an even par first round.  Facing a field of the 30 best teams in the country, the Mustangs were hovering around fourth to eighth place throughout the round, besting two thirds of the field. Three Mustangs played the round at or below par and each Mustang shot 74 or better. The top eight teams at the end of four rounds advance to the match play quarterfinals. There will be a cut to 15 teams after round three. The Mustangs are tied with Texas and LSU for the eighth spot.
 
Freshman Kirra St-Laurent led the way with her 71.  She bogeyed just one time on the round. St-Laurent lowered her season scoring average to 73.38, third lowest by a Mustang freshman. She holds a share of 24^th place among the 156 player field.
 
Celine Chen and Mackenzie Lee both shot even par rounds. They are among those tied at 41^st place. Chen was three-under through her first six holes after an eagle on No. 6. She shot a 33 on the front nine. Lee birdied her last hole to bring her to even par for the tournament. Lee's career scoring average of 71.48 remains tops in SMU history.
 
One shot back, Emily Odwin carded a 73 to sit in a tie for 60^th. She also eagled the par five sixth hole. Grace Jin shot a 74 to hold 86^th place.
 
The Mustangs return to the course for the second round of the championship on Saturday with their sights set on a record-breaking finish to their stellar season.
 
TEAM LEADERBOARD
1  Southern California  -7
2  Stanford  -6
3  Oklahoma State  -5
4  Iowa State  -4
T5  Eastern Michigan  -2
T5  Arkansas  -2
7  Missouri  -1
T8  SMU  E
T8  LSU  E
T8  Texas  E
T11  Arizona State  +1
T11  Baylor  +1
T11  Virginia  +1
T11  Texas A&M  +1
15  Northwestern  +2
T16  Duke  +3
T16  Tennessee  +3
18  Florida State  +4
19  North Carolina  +5
20  Houston  +6
T21  Pepperdine  +8
T21  Texas Tech  +8
T23  Ohio State  +9
T23  Florida  +9
T25  Kentucky  +10
T25  Michigan State  +10
T27  Oregon State  +12
T27  Wake Forest  +12
29  Ole Miss  +13
30  Auburn  +14
 
SMU LEADERBOARD
T24 Kirra St-Laurent -1
T41 Celine Chen E
T41 Mackenzie Lee E
T60 Emily Odwin +1
T86 Grace Jin +2