WOODBURN, Ore. – With just one golfer positioned in the Top 20 after 18 holes, Linfield opened the Northwest Conference Championship Tournament with a seventh-place showing Saturday afternoon at the Oregon Golf Association Golf Course.

Alexandria Smith (Sr., Bellingham, Wash.) carded a 17-over-par 89 for the first round, good for a three-way share of 18th place.

Brinn Hovde maintains sole possession of 26th place and Maggie Harlow (Soph., Hillsboro, Ore.) shares 28th place after 18 holes. Hovde shot a 93 on Day 1 while Harlow was four strokes back with a 97.

Malika Reynolds (Soph., Hood River, Ore.) rounded out Linfield’s scoring with a 139 on Day 1.

The Wildcats totaled 418 strokes, 10 fewer than eighth-place Puget Sound. George Fox opened up a 14-stroke lead over the rest of the field, placing three golfers in the Top 10 and compiling a team score of 321. Individually, GFU’s Kelsey Morrison finished with a three-over-par 75 and leads Whitworth’s Emily Guthrie by four strokes.

The NWC Championship Tournament counts 50 percent toward determining the league champion, which earns the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships. The Bruins, who claimed both the NWC Fall Classic and the NWC Spring Classic team titles, appear to be in good position to capture their fourth consecutive conference championship.

Second-round action gets underway Sunday morning at 9 a.m.