Lima Golf Club in Peru has been chosen to host the 2024 Women’s Amateur Latin America championship presented by The R&A and the ANNIKA Foundation from November 21-24.
It will be the first time the championship has been held at the venue after three previous stagings at Pilar Golf in Argentina.
The fourth edition of the championship will feature the region’s most talented women’s amateur golfers and the winner will earn exemptions into three majors in 2025 – the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales; The Chevron Championship at The Club at Carlton Woods, USA; and The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club, France.
Mark Lawrie, Director – Latin America and the Caribbean at The R&A, said, “Lima Golf Club is a well-regarded venue and will provide a wonderful stage for the leading women’s amateur golfers from Latin America to showcase their skills and earn exemptions into three major championships.
“Taking the Women’s Amateur Latin America to a new country continues the evolution of the championship and the challenge of Lima Golf Club will be enjoyed by all the players. We look forward to staging next year’s championship there for the first time.”
Rob Ohno, President and CEO of the ANNIKA Foundation, said, “We are incredibly honoured and excited to bring the top Latin women amateur golfers to Peru next year. The Lima Golf Club has a fantastic reputation and will be an amazing showcase for this prestigious event. We are proud to be associated with this championship and can’t wait for everyone to experience the Peruvian food and culture.”
“I am very excited to bring the Women’s Amateur Latin America to Lima Golf Club in 2024,” added ten-time major winner, Annika Sorenstam. “Our goal with The R&A has always been to grow the game throughout the region so it seems fitting to be bringing this championship to a different part of Latin America after an incredible three years in Argentina.”
Michael DeBakey, President of Lima Golf Club, said, “Lima Golf Club thanks The R&A and the ANNIKA Foundation for giving us the opportunity to host such a wonderful and important event. It will be our great pleasure to welcome the event on our Club’s 100th anniversary in 2024 and make it part of our centennial celebration. We look forward to welcoming the Women’s Latin American Amateur to Peru’s most important golf course.”
Martin Alarco, Executive Director of the Peruvian Golf Federation and Executive Secretary at the South American Golf Federation, added, “It is an honour for Peruvian golf to host the Women’s Amateur Latin America championship, where we will be able to watch the region’s rising stars pursue their dreams.
“It will also be a great opportunity to celebrate the centenary of the Lima Golf Club, a great supporter of amateur golf in our country over the years. Thank you to The R&A and the ANNIKA Foundation for making this possible.”
Columbia’s Valery Plata claimed victory at the inaugural Women’s Amateur Latin America championship in 2021, before Valentina Rossi from Argentina triumphed in 2022. Rossi is in the talented field for this week’s championship, which teed off at Pilar Golf yesterday (15 November).
The format for the championship involves 72 holes of stroke play with 60 players invited to participate based on their position in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). The winner at Lima Golf Club in 2024 will also receive an exemption into The Women’s Amateur Championship, The Hilton Grand Vacations ANNIKA Invitational presented by Rolex and the South American Amateur Championship the following year.
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 Latin America’s best women amateur golfers to compete against each other.