Round 1 Results

SAN MARCOS, Texas — Houston Christian surged to the top of the leaderboard Monday, firing a 4-under 284 in the opening round of the 2026 Southland Conference Women’s Golf Championship at Kissing Tree Golf Club.

The Huskies built an eight-shot advantage over UTRGV, which sits in second at 4-over 292. Incarnate Word is third at 12-over 300, while Lamar and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi are tied for fourth at 15-over. East Texas A&M (+17) and Stephen F. Austin (+28) round out the team standings.

Houston Christian was led by Sara Pihlajamaki, who carded a 3-under 69 to take the individual lead after 18 holes. Teammate Alyssa Stewart followed with a 2-under 70, giving the Huskies the top two spots on the leaderboard.

A three-way tie for third at even par features Stephen F. Austin’s Avree Fields, UTRGV’s Miriam Barcalova and Houston Christian’s Natcha Makmanee, highlighting the Huskies’ depth with three players inside the top five.

UTRGV positioned itself as the closest challenger behind a balanced effort, placing four golfers in the top 15. Pitchayapa Pungpho and Zoe Hobbs each shot 1-over 73, while Natalia Rodriguez added a 2-over 74.

Incarnate Word was paced by Maria Jose Ramirez at 1-over 73, while Lamar’s Brooke Frerichs and East Texas A&M’s Tais Moreno each posted 2-over rounds to lead their respective squads.

Scoring proved steady but challenging on the par-72, 5,960-yard layout, with only two players finishing under par and a premium placed on avoiding big numbers throughout the round.

The second round is scheduled for Tuesday, with Houston Christian set to tee off last as it looks to extend its lead.