Mesones holds nerve in playoff to edge Odwin for breakthrough win
January 11, 2026 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff
see also: South American Women's Amateur Championship, Golf Club Nordelta
Emily Odwin led deep into Sunday, but Luisamariana Mesones finished stronger, sealing the title on the second playoff hole
Luisamariana Mesones of Peru claimed her first title after defeating Emily Odwin of Barbados on the second playoff hole, with both players finishing tied at 8-under 280 after 72 holes.
Mesones, a junior at the University of Minnesota, closed with a flawless 68 to overturn a two-shot deficit and force extra holes, then edged Odwin at the second playoff played on the 13th hole. Odwin, a senior at SMU, signed for a 70 after leading the tournament through the first three rounds.
Odwin held the 54-hole lead at 6-under 210, two clear of Mesones, who began the final round solo second at 4-under. For much of Sunday, the Barbadian looked in control, making birdies at holes 1, 6, 8, 10 and 13. But a double bogey at the 16th shifted momentum, and a closing bogey at 18 brought Mesones level.
Mesones, meanwhile, made no mistakes on the final day. She opened with a birdie at the first, added an eagle at the eighth, and then delivered the decisive blow with a birdie at the 17th to force the playoff.
The playoff carried extra tension on an extremely hot day. Odwin, who made history last year as the first golfer from Barbados—man or woman—to qualify for a major championship after earning a spot in the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open, was also coming off a recent playoff loss at the Women’s Amateur Latin America (WALA). That pressure showed, and Mesones held firm to seal the victory.
The win continues a strong return for Mesones, who rejoined the Minnesota women’s team in 2024 after taking a gap year during the 2023–24 season. She returned after a standout freshman year in 2022–23 and comes from a golfing background—her stepfather played on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica.
Mesones has carried that form beyond campus. Back home in Peru, she won the Campeonato Nacional Juego por Golpes in June 2025 and then the Campeonato Nacional de Aficionados in July.
In the U.S., she’s been trending the right way in college events too, with two top-10s this fall, including a fourth place finish at the Lady Paladin Invitational.
Defending champion Maria Jose Marin of Colombia, who won the event in both 2024 and 2025, did not compete this week, leaving the stage open for a new champion—one Mesones seized with patience and precision when it mattered most.
About the South American Women's Amateur
A 72-hole stroke play championship, the South American Championship was started in 2006 and is organized annually by the Executive Secretary and the governing body of the country in which the tournament is conducted. The schedule provides that the se...
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