Blythewood, S.C. – Western Carolina women's golf closed its opening 18 holes at the 2026 Southern Conference Championship in sixth place, just four strokes outside of the team top four after carding an opening round of 21-over par, 309, at the par-72, 6,150-yard Columbia Country Club. Sophomore Elsa Maren Steinarsdôttir leads the Catamounts in a 12th-place tie after shooting 3-over par 75, and is joined in the individual Top 20 by fifth-year senior EC Niebauer in a tie for 19th overall at 5-over par 77.
 
Defending tournament champion, No. 65 Furman (289), holds a three-stroke lead over second-place Chattanooga (292) heading into Tuesday's second round. The Paladins shot a 1-over par opening round. UNCG (299) is in third, six strokes clear of fourth-place ETSU (305), with fifth-place Samford sitting six strokes in arrears of the Spartans at 306.
 
The Catamounts (309) are three strokes back of the Bulldogs, with Mercer (310), Wofford (311), and The Citadel (325) rounding out the order.
 
Paired with golfers from ETSU and Samford, both just ahead of the Catamounts in the team standings after 18 holes, the Catamount scoring five is on the course on the front nine beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Live scoring for each round is available online through the Scoreboard app, powered by Clippd.
 
Despite carding a pair of birdies through her first six holes, Steinarsdôttir overcame a tough stretch early in Monday's first round. The Akranes, Iceland, product sat at 3-over par just before the turn with three bogeys and a double-bogey on the par-4, 377-yard 17th. She countered with consecutive birdies on holes No. 2 and 3 to move back to 1-over for the round. Steinarsdôttir closed with two more bogeys for the 3-over round.
 
Steinarsdôttir leads the field with four birdies through Monday's opening round. She is also tied for second in both par-3 scoring (-1, 2.75) and par-5 scoring (-1, 4.75).
 
Niebauer is tied for sixth in the tournament field with a team-best 13 pars on Monday, shooting 5-over par 77 to sit in an eight-way tie for 12th after 18 holes. Sophomore Annalee Caveney is a stroke back with a first-round, 6-over par 78 in a tie for 27th overall. The Raleigh native opened the day with four straight pars and countered back-to-back bogeys with a birdie on the par-4 17th to make the turn at 1-over. She closed her day with three bogeys and a double on the front nine. Caveney is tied for fifth in par-4 scoring at 1-over par (4.10)
 
Rounding out WCU's scoring five is senior Sadler Miller in a tie for 32nd at 7-over par 79, and sophomore Emily Rosenschein (92) in 43rd overall, battling through the first round. Miller started the tournament at 1-under par through her first six holes with five pars and her lone birdie on the par-4 14th. She made the turn at 2-over after a double-bogey on No. 16. Miller fought through the final nine holes with four pars and five bogeys.
   
Chattanooga's Makenzie Cooper holds the individual lead after the opening round of play, firing a 3-under par 69 to take a one-stroke lead over Furman's Audrey Ryu (70). The Mocs' senior currently leads the field in  par-4 scoring, is tied for second in par-3 scoring, and is second overall in total pars. The top two are a pair of strokes clear of a two-way tie for third between Ava Hanneman of Furman and UNCG's Kasey McIlvaine at even-par, 72.
 
Round two tournament action resumes at 9 a.m. on Tuesday in the South Carolina Midlands.
 
2026 SoCon Women's Golf Championship
Round 1 – Monday, April 20
1 - Furman – 289 (+1) 
2 - Chattanooga – 292 (+4) 
3 - UNCG – 299 (+11) 
4 - ETSU – 305 (+17) 
5 - Samford – 306 (+18) 
6 - Western Carolina – 309 (+21) 
7 - Mercer – 310 (+22) 
8 - Wofford – 311 (+23) 
9 - The Citadel – 325 (+37)
 
6 – Western Carolina – 309 (+21)
T12 – Elsa Maren Steinarsdôttir – 75 (+3)
T19 – EC Niebauer – 77 (+5)
T27 – Annalee Caveney – 78 (+6)
T32 – Sadler Miller – 79 (+7)
43 – Emily Rosenschein – 92 (+20)