Delaney Underwood rallied with back-to-back birdies and turned in an 84 as the Central College women’s golf team opened play in the NCAA Division III Championships Tuesday.

Big numbers on a couple of holes sent the Dutch to a season-high 347, leaving them in 20th in the 29-team, 72-hole tourney. Other squads found troubles of their own, giving Central hope to survive the cut after Thursday’s third round, when the field is sliced to 15. The Dutch are 13 shots out of 15th at the Mission Inn Resort and Club’s demanding El Campeon Golf Course.

Top-ranked Emory University (Ga.) took the early lead, shooting 315 on the 5,823-yard, par-73 layout. No. 4-rated George Fox University (Ore.) is second at 318 while No. 3 Washington-St. Louis (Mo.) and No. 5 Carnegie Mellon (Pa.) are tied for third at 319.

Central was in the final groups and started on the back nine. A steady opening nine was derailed by the par-4 18th hole, where Central’s five players were a collective 15-over-par on the hole, and none parred it. Underwood bounced back by scoring birdies on the par-4 Nos. 3 and 4 holes and played her final nine in 1-over-par, bogeying her final hole. Mackenzie Biggs shot 86, Lydia Grond and Thea Lunning each shot 89 and Madison Clark carded a 95.

After competing in the hottest part of the day Tuesday, Central gets an early start Wednesday, opening at 8:40 a.m. Eastern Time.