Grace Jin fired a career-low 66 as SMU opened its season near the top of the leaderboard at the Leadership and Sports Invitational.
DALLAS - SMU women’s golf didn’t need much time to make noise in its season opener.
Senior Grace Jin fired a career-low, bogey-free 66 Monday at Chambers Bay Golf Club, helping the Mustangs surge into contention through the first 36 holes of the Leadership and Sports Invitational in University Place, Washington.
Jin’s opening round was the highlight of an impressive morning for SMU. She birdied three of her first five holes, added three more later in the round and never made a bogey on the way to her lowest collegiate score.
The 66 also marked Jin’s fourth round in the 60s since joining SMU.
After following with a 3-over 75 in the afternoon, Jin finished the day at 3-under 141, tied for fifth individually with 18 holes remaining.
SMU opened the tournament with a 7-under 281, the best first-round team score in the field. Head coach Lauren Mason has now guided the Mustangs to 65 rounds of par or better over the past four seasons.
That early surge came from more than Jin.
Yoonjeong Huh opened with a 2-under 70, while Houston transfer Maelynn Kim immediately made an impact in her SMU debut with a 1-under 71. Celine Chen added a 74.
Sophomore Kirra St-Laurent supplied the biggest response of the afternoon.
After opening with a 76, St-Laurent ripped off five birdies during her second round and carded a 4-under 68, moving back to even par for the tournament.
That type of response fits the competitive culture Jin has previously described inside the SMU program.
“If anybody makes a birdie, we're all cheering.”
SMU cooled off as a team in the second round, but the Mustangs remain within striking distance entering Tuesday’s final 18 holes.
Official scoring lists SMU at even-par 576 and fourth place, five shots behind leader Tulsa at 5-under. Colorado sits second at 3-under, while Oregon State is third at 1-under.
Jin remains SMU’s best individual threat, but St-Laurent’s rebound gives the Mustangs another player positioned to make a move Tuesday.
For a team coming off an NCAA Waco Regional championship and a 12th-place finish at the 2026 NCAA Championships, Monday offered another encouraging sign.
The Mustangs began the new season looking very much like a team capable of making another postseason run.
