Women’s Golf Holds Team Lead after NCAA Simpsonville Regional Second Round

Tuesday, May 12

Louisville Golf Club – Simpsonville, Ky.

University of Houston

NCAA Simpsonville Regional

Women’s Golf Holds Team Lead after NCAA Simpsonville Regional Second Round

5/12/2026 3:52:00 PM | Women's Golf

Live Scoring Watch (Babygrande Golf)Tee Times Louisville Golf Club

Natalie Saint Germain, Maelynn Kim & Alexa Saldana combine for 16 birdies & only one bogey in historic Second Round; Final Round tees off Wednesday morning

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A day after posting the lowest opening-round score at an NCAA Regional in school history, the University of Houston Women's Golf program took a step further in the records book.

The 30^th-ranked Cougars posted a team score of 13-under 275 to hold the two-day lead at 19-under 557 following the Second Round of the NCAA Simpsonville Regional at Louisville Golf Club on Tuesday afternoon.

It was the lowest team round in the NCAA postseason, the lowest team round of the 2025-26 season and the tied as the sixth-lowest round of any kind in Houston history.

Senior Natalie Saint Germain, junior Maelynn Kim and senior Alexa Saldana each shot 68 or lower and combined to sink 16 birdies with only one bogey between them to finish Tuesday's play among the Top-12 leaders.

Saint Germain posted the Cougars' low round of the day with a bogey-free 66, thanks to an electrifying start. Beginning off No 1 on the 6,384-yard, par-72 course, the Prague native five of her first six holes with only a par at No. 3 slowing her.

Saint Germain added her final birdie of the day on the par-4 11^th hole and closed the day with seven straight pars to move into a tie for third at 7-under 137.

Saint Germain tied with Annie Kim for the second-lowest round in Houston NCAA Regional history. Kim posted her 66 in the First round at the 2023 NCAA Pullman Regional at Palouse Ridge Golf Club on May 8, 2023. Each trailed only Leonie Harm's Final-Round 65 at the 2018 NCAA Austin Regional at University of Texas Golf Club on May 9, 2018.

Kim was equally impressive Tuesday and joined Saint Germain in a tie for third with her performance. After making bogey at No. 2, the Katy, Texas native stood at 1-over through her first three holes. However, that was the lone blemish on her scorecard.

She returned to even par with a birdie at No. 4 and moved into red numbers for good with a birdie on the par-4 fifth.

Kim added another birdie at No. 8 and then opened her second nine alternating pars and birdies to finish the round at 67 and the tournament at 137.

Saldana used a steady effort throughout the day to record her career low in NCAA postseason play. She opened the round with seven straight pars and moved under par with a birdie on the par-3 eighth hole.

After opening her second nine with another birdie, the Mexico City native closed the day with back-to-back birdies to tie for 12^th at 4-under 140.

She topped her previous postseason low of 71 during the Final Round of the 2023 NCAA Pullman Regional at Palouse Ridge Golf Club on May 10, 2023.

Senior Moa Svedenskiöld – competing in her fourth straight NCAA Regional – was tied for 23^rd at 1-under 143 while sophomore Emilia Väistö – who was making her NCAA postseason debut – was tied for 42^nd at 147.

The Cougars finished the Second Round two strokes ahead of #7 (2 seed) Auburn (559). #18 (3) Iowa State (563), #6 (1) Arkansas (565) and #37 (6) Virginia Tech (568) completed the Top-Five leaders with #19 (4) Mississippi, Xavier (572), #40 (7) Kansas State (575), (9) Charleston (577) and #45 (8) Indiana completing the Top 10.

Auburn's Anna Davis and Indiana's Sheridan Clancy were tied for the individual lead at 135. Xavier's Isabel Brozena and Nanami Nakashima of Kansas State joined Saint Germain and Kim in a tie for third while Middle Tennessee's Isabella Johnson was in seventh at 138.

The Top-Five teams from each NCAA Regional advance to play at the NCAA Championships, set for May 22-27 at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

The 30^th-ranked Cougars are competing as the #5 seed at the NCAA Simpsonville Regional. This marks the second straight season in which Houston has received a #5 seed, tying for the highest entering the NCAA postseason in school history.

LIVE SCORING
Fans can follow live scoring at the NCAA Simpsonville Regional by clicking here.

TUNE IN
Fans can watch coverage of the NCAA Simpsonville Regional Second Round on Babygrande Golf beginning at 6:50 a.m. (CDT), Wednesday.

TEE TIMES
For Wednesday's Final Round, the Cougars will compete in groups with student-athletes from Auburn and Iowa State.

Väistö begins the day off No. 1 at 7 a.m. (CDT) with Svedenskiöld (7:11 a.m. CDT), Saldaña (7:22 a.m. CDT), Kim (7:33 a.m. CDT) and Saint Germain (7:44 a.m. CDT) following.

Fans can find complete NCAA Simpsonville Regional tee times and pairings by clicking here.

HOUSTON in NCAA REGIONALS HISTORY
As a team, Houston has competed in NCAA Regional play dating back to the 2015 season with team appearances in nine of the last 10 years. The Cougars have been represented in each of the last 10 NCAA Regionals with Annie Kim competing as an individual at the 2022 NCAA Franklin Regional in Tennessee.

A year ago, the Cougars competed as the No. 5 seed on the Scarlet Course at the NCAA Columbus Regional and tied finished fifth on May 5-7, 2025. Houston finished five strokes shy of finishing among the Top-Five team leaders and advancing to the NCAA Championship for the first time in school history.

Svedenskiöld posted three straight rounds or par or lower and advanced to the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career and finishing as the top individual not on a qualifying team with a score of 2-under 214. She joined All-Americans Karen Fredgaard (2021) and Leonie Harm (2018, 2016) as the only Cougars in school history to compete at the NCAA Championships.

Saint Germain, Saldaña and Svedenskiöld are competing in the fourth NCAA Regional of their award-winning careers while Kim made her third straight appearance in the NCAA postseason.

UP NEXT
The Top-Five teams from each NCAA Regional advance to play at the NCAA Championships, set for May 22-27 at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Women's Golf by providing NIL opportunities and by joining the P.A.R. 4 Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Women's Golf for needs beyond its operating budget.

STAY CONNECTED
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