Women's Latin America Amateur: Mary Olivero takes the first round lead

November 15, 2023 | by Royal & Ancient

Maria Olivero (Royal and Ancient Photo)

The oldest player in the field showed that age is just a number, shooting a 7-under 65 in to lead by two shots over the field.

Argentina’s Maria Olivero continued her excellent form to lead the Women’s Amateur Latin America championship presented by The R&A and the ANNIKA Foundation after the opening day at Pilar Golf.

Olivero, the oldest player in the field at the age of 49, signed for a superb 7-under 65 – after finishing with four straight birdies – and claim a two-shot advantage over compatriot Ela Anacona.

In the second group of the day, Olivero expertly handled the warm and breezy conditions on her championship debut and maintain the form that saw her win the Argentine Women’s Stroke Play for the 11th time on Saturday.

A field of 59 talented players representing 13 countries are competing in the 72-hole stroke play championship, being staged for the third time at the venue north of Buenos Aires in Argentina.

Olivero, who tied the lowest score in championship history, has Anacona for company near the top after the 23-year-old closed with four birdies in her last six holes. The University of Arkansas student posted a 67 as she looks to build on two top-15 finishes in the championship.

A group of five players are well-placed on two-under-par – Emily Odwin from Barbados, Mexico’s Vania Alicia Simont, Venezuela’s Vanessa Gilly, Catalina Monroy from Colombia and Holly McLean, the first player from the Cayman Islands to compete in the championship. Defending champion Valentina Rossi recorded a one-over-par 73.

The champion this week will play alongside the stars of women´s professional golf from around the world in three major championships next year – the AIG Women’s Open, The Chevron Championship and The Amundi Evian Championship.

She will also compete in The Women’s Amateur Championship and The Hilton Grand Vacations ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex in 2024.

The Women’s Amateur Latin America championship presented by The R&A and the ANNIKA Foundation follows the successful introduction of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship by The R&A in 2018.

Its aim is to strengthen the pathway to the very highest levels of golf by providing a platform for the region’s best women’s amateur golfers to compete against each other, with 22 players in the field this week under the age of 18.

Results: Women's Latin America Amateur

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Ela Anacona	, Argentina	1000	67-70-67-69=273
2	Vanessa Gilly	, Venezuela	700	70-68-75-72=285
3	Maria Olivero	, Argentina	500	65-69-74-78=286
4	Agustina Gomez Cisterna	, Chile	500	72-71-73-71=287
5	Luisamariana Mesones	, Peru	500	73-73-71-71=288

View full results for Women's Latin America Amateur

About the Women's Latin America Amateur

Women's Latin America Amateur: Mary Olivero takes the first round lead

Introduced in 2021, this tournament was created by the R&A and the ANNIKA Foundation. The 72-hole stroke play event will have a select field of 60 players, with invitations given based on World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). The winner will receive an ...