Clarisa Temelo looking to secure wire-to-wire win at Women's Latin America Amateur

November 23, 2024 | by Royal & Ancient

Clarisa Temelo (Royal and Ancient Photo)

Temelo is backing up her status as the top ranked player in the field and leads by three shots with 18 holes remaining

Clarisa Temelo from Mexico holds a three-shot lead going into the final round of the Women’s Amateur Latin America championship (WALA) in Peru.

The 18-year-old University of Arkansas student has led from start to finish at Lima Golf Club and will aim for a wire-to-wire success over the final 18 holes on Sunday.

Temelo endured an up-and-down third round but still signed for a level par 71 and a 54-hole total of seven-under-par 206.

Cory Lopez, Temelo’s countrywoman and fellow University of Arkansas teammate, is on four-under-par 209, the same mark as Emily Odwin from Barbados ahead of an exciting final round.

The championship, presented by The R&A and the ANNIKA Foundation, is taking place at a club celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The leading trio enjoyed their own memorable moments on day three, sharing 15 birdies between them.

Temelo led by four shots overnight and surged seven strokes clear of Odwin after birdies on the 2nd and 3rd and a dropped shot from the Barbados player at the opening hole.

But a poor run from Temelo saw her bogey the 6th, double bogey the par-3 7th and then bogey the 9th to give her rivals encouragement. Combined with a birdie burst from Lopez, including three-in-a-row from the 10th, the Mexican pair were level at the top on six-under-par after 12 holes.

On a day of fluctuating fortunes for the leaders, Lopez double-bogeyed the par-3 13th to slip behind again but the 22-year-old still enjoyed seven birdies on day three after her 68. Temelo – the top-ranked player this week at 136th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®) – picked up late birdies on the 15th and 17th to give her the three-shot cushion.

Odwin, 20, the only player from Barbados competing this week, mixed three birdies with two bogeys in her 70 as the Southern Methodist University Texas student stayed in the title hunt.

Colombia’s Luana Valero, 17, sits in fourth place on one-under-par 212 after a 68 on day three – one of only four players under par. Defending champion Ela Anacona from Argentina dropped back to four-over-par 217 and a tie for seventh place after a 74.

The champion this week earns an exemption into three major championships next year – the AIG Women’s Open, The Chevron Championship and The Amundi Evian Championship.

Annika Sörenstam enjoyed watching the third-round action, as well as hosting a golf clinic with the players, as the championship reaches new audiences being staged in Peru for the first time this week.

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 27 players in the field this week aged 18 and younger and 41 players having previously competed in the championship.

Results: Women's Latin America Amateur

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Clarisa Temelo	, Mexico	1000	65-70-71-69=275
2	Emily Odwin	, Barbados	700	71-68-70-72=281
3	Cory Lopez	, Mexico	500	73-68-68-73=282
4	Luana Valero Moyano	, Colombia	500	70-74-68-72=284
5	Maria Salinas	, Peru	500	72-72-66-66=276

View full results for Women's Latin America Amateur

About the Women's Latin America Amateur

Clarisa Temelo looking to secure wire-to-wire win at 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 ...