Women’s Golf Opens Play at NCAA Championships; Simpson Cards Even Par and Leads Field

(HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla.) – The Carnegie Mellon University women's golf team opened play in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Division III Championships on Tuesday, May 8. The Tartans fired a team score of 321 on the par-73, 5,804-yard El Campeón Course at the Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, and are currently tied for third with University Athletic Association counterpart New York University and Carleton College. Claremont Mudd Scripps and Williams College lead the championships after 18 holes with a 311.

Freshman Charlotte Simpson (Towson, Md./Bryn Mawr School) sits atop the individual leaderboard after carding an even par 73. The freshman holds a two-stroke lead, while her round of 73 marked a season-low round.

Junior Carly Jordan (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./St. Margaret's Episcopal School) fired an 80 to open play. Sophomore Yedin Lui (Idaho Falls, Idaho) and freshman Catherine Tianhong Yu (Dalian, China/Walnut) both finished with an 84 while senior Summer Kitahara (Greenwich, Conn./Rye Country Day) shot 89.

Second round play is set for Wednesday, May 9, with the Tartans teeing off at 12:30 p.m. Following 54 holes of competition, the field will be cut to the top 15 teams and top six individuals not on one of those teams to compete the final day.