Clarisa Temelo maintains her lead at the Women's Latin America Amateur
Clarisa Temelo (Royal and Ancient Photo)
Mexico’s Clarisa Temelo stayed in front at the halfway stage of the Women’s Amateur Latin America championship (WALA) in Peru.
The championship, presented by The R&A and the ANNIKA Foundation, is taking place at Lima Golf Club, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
Temelo followed up her opening 65 with a one-under-par 70 and a 36-hole total of seven-under 135 for a four-stroke lead over Emily Odwin from Barbados.
Having led by five shots overnight, bogeys at the 6th and 7th could have hindered Temelo’s progress. But in the glorious conditions, the 18-year-old University of Arkansas student responded with three birdies in four holes from the 12th.
The top-ranked player this week – at 136th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®) – heads the 60-player field representing 12 countries in the region going into the weekend.
Odwin, the only player from Barbados competing, signed for a three-under 68 to reach three-under-par 139 for the championship.
Odwin is making her fourth appearance in the WALA and has enjoyed two top-ten finishes. The 20-year-old is again impressing and recorded four birdies on the front nine on day two. Dropped shots at the 16th and 17th frustrated the Southern Methodist University Texas student but she responded with a brilliant 76-yard pitch to a foot on the 18th for another birdie.
Mexico’s Cory Lopez, another University of Arkansas student, sits in third place on one-under-par 141 after following up her opening 73 with a fine 68 that featured four birdies.
Elzbieta Aldana, one of two players from Guatemala teeing up, has shone on her first WALA start to be well-placed. Aldana, 17, is on level par 142 in fourth place after a 69 in round two. Defending champion Ela Anacona from Argentina fought back from her first-round 75 to surge to fifth spot after a 68 for a one-over 143 total.
Maria Salinas, 35, is the leading player from Peru, carding two rounds of 72 for a two-over-par total of 144 for a share of sixth.
The champion this week will play alongside leading names from women´s professional golf in three major championships next year – the AIG Women’s Open, The Chevron Championship and The Amundi Evian Championship.
Annika Sörenstam will enjoy the action at Lima Golf Club from Saturday, as well as hosting a golf clinic, as the championship reaches new audiences being staged in Peru for the first time this week.
“It has been amazing to see this championship grow into what it is today,” said Sörenstam, the ten-time major winner. “Our partnership with The R&A has been instrumental in helping us support talented female golfers around the world, but especially in Latin America. I look forward to seeing everyone there.”
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.
View results for Women's Latin America Amateur
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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