Maria Olivero (Royal and Ancient Photo)
Maria Olivero extended her lead at the top of the leaderboard after another impressive display in the Women’s Amateur Latin America championship presented by The R&A and the ANNIKA Foundation at Pilar Golf.
At the halfway stage of the 72-hole stroke play championship in Argentina, the home player signed for a 3-under 69 to reach a superb total of 10-under and sits three shots clear of Ela Anacona.
Despite windier conditions, Olivero – the oldest competitor in the field at the age of 49 – birdied three of her opening seven holes as she quickly built on her two-stroke overnight advantage. Dropped shots at No. 10 and 14 were offset by two other back nine birdies at No. 12 and 16.
Olivero, who won the Argentine Women’s Stroke Play for the 11th time on Saturday and is a member of the Argentine Golf Association Board of Directors, is the highest-ranked player in her country ahead of Anacona.
The 23-year-old stayed in contention with the leader after recovering from an opening bogey to post four birdies. But the former Argentina Girls' Junior winner dropped another shot at No. 18 to post a 70 and finish on seven-under 137.
Venezuela’s Vanessa Gilly produced a best-of-the-day round of 4-under 68 to surge through the field into third place on 6-under. Gilly, 21, enjoyed an incredible scoring burst of seven birdies in ten holes from the 4th as she looks to build on her fifth-place finish in the championship last year.
Mexican teenager Sofia Clarisa Temelo Escalera is next best placed on two-under with Agustina Gomez Cisterna from Chile a stroke further back. Defending champion Valentina Rossi, who triumphed with a nine-under-par total last year, sits at two-over.
A field of 59 talented players representing 13 countries are competing in the third edition of the Women’s Amateur Latin America championship at the venue north of Buenos Aires in Argentina.
The champion will play 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.
ABOUT THE Women's Latin America Amateur
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 exemption into the
Women's
British Open.
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