Clarisa Temelo Excited to Defend Women's Amateur Latin America Title at Home

Clarisa Temelo is relishing the opportunity to defend the Women’s Amateur Latin America (WALA) championship presented by The R&A and the ANNIKA Foundation on home soil in Mexico this week (20-23 November). 

The 19-year-old produced a dominant display in Peru last year, winning the fourth edition of the championship by six shots in the nation’s capital at Lima Golf Club. Fittingly for the defending champion, Mexico is hosting the WALA for the first time at the spectacular PGA Riviera Maya in Tulum. 

The 72-hole championship will feature its strongest ever field with 60 players representing 14 countries as talent, experience and the rising stars of Latin American women’s golf compete on the region’s most prestigious amateur stage. 

“Winning the Women’s Amateur Latin America championship marked a turning point in my career,” said Temelo, the University of Arkansas student who played in two majors this season thanks to her triumph – The Chevron Championship and The Amundi Evian Championship – but was unable to take her place at the AIG Women’s Open due to family reasons. 

“Playing in the majors was like living a dream. I’m really happy to compete in my home country. I don’t want that to be pressure but rather inspiration, and I want to enjoy it to the fullest.” 

The first Mexican player to win the WALA, currently ranked 62 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®), added, “PGA Riviera Maya is a very challenging course and I’m looking forward to seeing what tests it will bring.” 

The field includes a blend of experienced competitors – many returning from previous editions and top-ten finishes in 2024 – alongside 20 players making their championship debut. 

María José Marín from Colombia returns after finishing runner-up in the first two editions. Aged 19, she is the highest-ranked player in the field at eighth on WAGR® and has enjoyed an outstanding season competing as a Junior for the University of Arkansas. 

Marín won the NCAA Division I Women’s National Championship, played in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur for the third time and competed in two majors in 2025 – the US Women’s Open and The Amundi Evian Championship. She also claimed the South American Amateur Championship title. 

“I’m very excited to play the Women’s Amateur Latin America championship again,” she said. “I feel that my golf is in a great place. I’ve had some good results this season, which has given me a lot of confidence. I’ve heard excellent things about PGA Riviera Maya and I’m sure it will be a great challenge for all the players.” 

Emily Odwin, the runner-up last year, returns for a fifth appearance in the championship. Odwin, 21, made history this year by becoming the first golfer from Barbados to qualify for a major, earning her place in the US Women’s Open. In her final year as a Senior at Southern Methodist University, she recorded five top-ten finishes, including finishing second at the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship. 

Antonia Matte and Augustina Gomez Cisterna from Chile, Colombia’s Silvia Margarita Garces Escalante and Maria Salinas from Peru are other notable players aiming to contend. 

The most represented nations in the field are Colombia and Mexico with ten players, followed by Argentina and Bolivia (both six) and Brazil and Chile (both five). Players from countries in which golf is continuing to develop, such as Barbados, Guatemala and Puerto Rico, will also compete, reinforcing the WALA's mission to offer pathways to the elite amateur level of the sport. 

In addition to their golf achievements, numerous WALA competitors are pursuing their university studies while developing their careers. More than half of the participants have current or past ties to universities in the United States of America. 

As well as competing in the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2026, the winner this week earns exemptions into two other majors next year, The Chevron Championship and The Amundi Evian Championship. 

The winner will also receive an exemption to The Women’s Amateur Championship at Muirfield next year, an invitation to the Hilton Grand Vacations ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex (subject to age eligibility), as well as the 2026 South American Amateur Championship. 

Annika Sörenstam, one of the most accomplished golfers in the history of the sport, will be hosting and attending the championship again this year. Lorena Ochoa, widely regarded as the greatest Mexican player of all time, will also attend. 

Inaugurated in 2010 and located in Tulum – a popular destination in the Mexican Caribbean – PGA Riviera Maya is one of the leading golfing destinations in Latin America. Designed by Robert Trent Jones II, it offers a unique blend of challenge, beauty and strategy. 

The course, part of Grupo Piñero’s Real Estate & Golf division and located within the Tulum Country Club, stands out for its breathtaking natural surroundings. It was recognised as Mexico’s Best Golf Course at the World Golf Awards 2024 and has hosted the Tulum Championship at PGA Riviera Maya on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Americas. 

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 the average age of the field this week 19.7, ranging from 13 to 51. 

Golf Channel Latin America will cover five shows ‘Live from WALA’ that include interviews and highlights. 

For more information, please visit www.walagolf.com.