Mexico’s Clarisa Temelo excelled from start to finish to secure a six-shot triumph at the Women’s Amateur Latin America championship (WALA) presented by The R&A and the ANNIKA Foundation at Lima Golf Club in Peru.
With Annika Sörenstam watching on, Temelo produced a dominant display in the final round to sign for a two-under-par 69 and a winning total of nine-under-par 275.
After two previous top-15 results in the WALA and three top-ten finishes for the University of Arkansas this season, Temelo impressed again to finish clear of runner-up Emily Odwin, 20, from Barbados.
In the heart of the San Isidro district in Lima, Odwin finished on three-under-par 281 after a final round 72 to secure a third top-ten at the WALA. Cory Lopez, Temelo’s countrywoman and Arkansas teammate, claimed third place after the 22-year-old closed with a 73 for two-under-par 282.
After Ela Anacona won by 12 shots on home soil in Argentina last year, this was also an emphatic victory for Temelo as she became the first player from Mexico to claim the title. Temelo’s Mexican teammates rushed onto the 18th green to congratulate her in jubilant scenes.
The 18-year-old, in her first season at Arkansas, started her week with a brilliant 65 and never looked back to live up to her title as the leading player in the field at 136th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®).
By virtue of her success, Temelo will now play in three major championships after earning exemptions into the AIG Women’s Open, The Chevron Championship and The Amundi Evian Championship in 2025. She also secured an exemption into The Women’s Amateur Championship next year.
“I tried to enjoy every shot. I was in a great group with Cory and Emily and we had a lot of fun,” said the new champion. “Walking down the 18th, I was thinking about what I was going to achieve and playing in three majors in 2025. It was a like a dream to me. Ela was at the University of Arkansas when she won last year so it’s nice to follow her.”
Fittingly for the new champion, Mexico will host the WALA in 2025 for the first time after this week’s edition in Peru and three previous stagings at Pilar Golf in Argentina.
Temelo added, “I’m really happy that the championship is coming to my home and I can’t wait to welcome everybody in Mexico.”
A field of 60 talented players representing 12 countries competed at Lima Golf Club in the year of its 100th anniversary, with Temelo the week’s star.
Leading by three shots going into the final round, Temelo quickly increased her advantage in the idyllic conditions with birdies at the 1st and 2nd. Dropped shots followed at the 5th and 7th, but Temelo’s 15-feet birdie putt on the par-3 9th put her in full control.
Odwin and Lopez both played the front nine in two-over and when Temelo birdied the 10th after a glorious approach shot her lead stretched to seven. Temelo has thrived over the Lima layout, which also hosted competitions at the 2019 Pan American Games, and made a further birdie at the 14th to reach ten-under. Odwin’s birdies at the 14th and 17th helped her to second spot after a double-bogey from Lopez at the 16th, with Temelo’s dropped shot at the last failing to take the shine off her success.
Ahead of competing in the three majors in 2025, Temelo said, “Each one of the tournaments are so important in golf. I played in a junior event at the Evian, the course is amazing and I’m looking forward to going back. Of course, the AIG Women’s Open is a dream and everyone wants to play in that one. The Chevron is also a major and I’m looking forward to playing in it.”
Horacio Morales, Temelo’s coach since she was 13, said of her triumph, “When Clarisa is under pressure, she gets more aggressive and chases the flags. She decided to go to Arkansas because of Coach Shauna Taylor and the great structure of their programme and the practice. Gaby Lopez is a great reference and mentor to her.”
For Odwin and Lopez there was still satisfaction at their week’s work. “The week was very solid,” said Lopez. “Today I didn’t make as many putts as I wanted to but I’m still happy with the result. It was a lot of fun playing this weekend with Clarisa and Emily. They are both great players and it was a lot of fun.
“Mexico has a lot of great players. The junior tournaments are very competitive and we also have a great programme at Arkansas. The WALA going to Mexico in 2025 is great. It’s very motivational for all of us to try and win at home.”
Odwin, the only player from Barbados competing, added, “Overall, it was a really solid week. I played three rounds of really great golf. Today I didn’t putt as well as I would have liked to but Clarisa played incredibly well and she deserved to win.
“Everything The R&A and Annika do for women’s golf in Latin America, giving us these chances to play for such life-changing opportunities, means the world. To come out here this week and get solo second is great.”Colombia’s Luana Valero finished fourth on level-par 284 with defending champion Anacona, Peru’s Maria Salinas and another Argentinian, Mercedes Aldana, tied fifth two shots further back.
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.
For more information and the final round leaderboard, please visit walagolf.com
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