HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, FL – The University of Rochester golf team opened up play at the 2026 NCAA Division III Championship on Tuesday afternoon, carding a team score of 303 at the Mission Inn Resorts El Campeon Golf Club.
 
That score has the Yellowjackets ranked in a tie for 37th place overall in the 43-team field after day one. That number will likely change after the opening round though, as storms late in the afternoon forced the suspension of play midway through the second wave of teams rounds.
 
Among teams that finished, the Yellowjackets are tied for 21st overall.
 
Leading the field after the opening day is 8th-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps who shot a 4-under round of 284. Just four teams in the entire tournament were under-par on the opening day over the two demanding course layouts when play was halted due to weather.
 
Sophomore Alvin Su is Rochester's leader after 18 holes. The All-American carded an opening round score of 74 (2-over), recording three birdies in his round to go along with three bogeys and one double bogey. Su ranks tied for 79th in the individual field.
 
A pair of Yellowjackets, sophomore Galen Fowles and junior Arjun Aujla both opened the national tournament with 4-over par rounds of 76. Fowles had two birdies on his scorecard, while Aujla notched one hole under par in his round.
 
Both started out strong on their opening nine holes (the back nine), shooting a combined 1-under par. Fowles shot a 36 (1-under), while Aujla sat at even (37) at the midway point of the round on Tuesday. Both players ended the day in a tie for 135th overall.
 
First-year Anderson Palm was the fourth counting golfer in the 'Jacket lineup, ending with a first round score of 77 (5-over), ranking tied for 168th on the leaderboard. Palm had two birdies, coming on the 14th and 16th holes, to go along with seven bogeys.
 
Josh Pethel was the final Rochester golfer, with the senior opening the tournament with a score of 80 (8-over) across the par-72, 6,778-yard course layout. Pethel was tied for second on the team with two birdies in his round. He shook off a rocky start, going a combined 1-under from holes six through 15 in his round, before closing with three straight bogeys.
 
URochester's second round will take place on the Las Colinas (par-71) course Wednesday, with the Yellowjackets starting in the afternoon wave, with an actual tee time to be determined based on how the first round wraps up.