Argentina’s Ela Anacona will look to defend her Women’s Amateur Latin America (WALA) title when the championship tees off in Peru for the first time this week. The 72-hole championship, presented by The R&A and the ANNIKA Foundation, is taking place in the nation’s capital from Thursday to Sunday at the historic Lima Golf Club, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
Anacona, 24, won by an impressive 12 shots at Pilar Golf in Argentina last year – the venue for the first three editions of the WALA – and, by virtue of her success, went on to make the cut in the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews in August.
Anacona takes her place among a field of 60 talented players representing 12 countries in the region. As well as competing in the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales in 2025, the winner earns exemptions into two other majors next year, including The Chevron Championship and The Amundi Evian Championship.
Anacona, who has also enjoyed two other top-15 finishes at the WALA, said, “I’m excited to be going back to play in the Women’s Amateur Latin America championship in Peru.
“Lima Golf Club is one of my favourite spots in South America. I can’t wait to see everyone compete and make some great memories. I was just trying to do my best last year and was so happy with the result. I look forward to another great week in Peru.”
The most represented nations in the field are Colombia (11), Argentina (eight), Peru (seven) and Mexico and Chile (both six). Players from countries in which golf is continuing to develop, such as Guatemala, Barbados and Bolivia, will also compete, reinforcing the WALA's mission to offer pathways to the elite amateur level of the sport throughout the region.
Those in the field include 15-year-old Maria Mercedes Tablante of Venezuela to 50-year-old Maria Olivero of Argentina, who led last year after each of the first two rounds and finished third. Last weekend, Olivero won the Argentine Women’s Stroke Play for the 12th time to illustrate her form.
Peru’s Zoe Pinillos, who played in The R&A Junior Open at Monifieth in 2022, is looking forward to competing on home soil. “It is a pretty special championship for me,” said the 18-year-old, in her first season at Augusta University. “It is here in my country, Peru. I’m very excited as I can see my family, enjoy this course and compete with some of the best in the world.”
In addition to their golf achievements, numerous WALA competitors are pursuing their university studies while developing their careers. Over half of the players in the field present have attended or are currently attending universities in the United States of America.
Opened in 1924, Lima Golf Club sits at the center of the San Isidro neighborhood. The par-71 layout, which also hosted all golf competitions at the 2019 Pan American Games, features narrow fairways winding between trees, bunkers and lakes, all with Lima’s skyline in the distance.
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.
Golf in Peru has experienced growth in recent years, driven by a combination of strategic efforts between the Peruvian Golf Federation and The R&A. While there are only 13 courses in the country, there has been a steady growth in participation, particularly among younger demographics engaging with the sport through targeted development initiatives.
One of these is the 'Golf for All' programme, whose most notable achievement is the creation of the San Bartolo public course, an emblematic project designed to bring golf to more people. Located approximately 50 kilometres from Lima, the course not only offers an accessible space to practice, but also has a golf school for children from low-income families, allowing new generations to play without economic barriers.
Golf Channel Latin America will cover five shows ‘Live from WALA’ that include interviews and highlights. For more information, please visit walagolf.com
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