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 team-mate, is on four-under-par 209, the same mark as Emily Odwin from Barbados ahead of an exciting final round.
“I started well with two early birdies then made some mistakes,” said Temelo. “Overall, I think I was pretty solid and I just didn’t make as many putts as I wanted to. I wasn’t trying to think of the overall score but just focusing on my game, stroke by stroke. I knew I was getting further ahead from the rest but tried not to think about it."
“I’m just trying to focus on what I’m doing and giving my best every single day. Whatever comes tomorrow, I’ll have given my best effort.”
The championship, presented by The R&A and the ANNIKA Foundation, is taking place at a club celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and 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.
Lopez said, “I’ve liked the greens since I got here at the beginning of the week. I like the speed and how they roll and I was able to use that today. I made a lot of good birdies.
“I’m trying to catch Clarisa and she is a great player. I’m still close to her with 18 holes to go. I’m very happy for her as she is playing great and we’re really close friends.”
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.
“I think it was a bit of a grind out there for me,” admitted Odwin. “It was kind of a little back and forth but overall I’m happy with my round and how I managed to bring it back to one-under-par for the day. I had a good par save at the 17th. I hit the ball in the water with my second shot but I managed to make par.
“It was a bit of a dogfight for me but I managed to keep it together and keep my head down. There are 18 holes out there tomorrow and I’m going to be convicted and committed to my shots. Hopefully that is enough.”
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.
For more information and the round three leaderboard, please visit walagolf.com
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