BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – University of Iowa freshman Paula Miranda tied for 12th place at the inaugural Women’s Amateur Latin America Championship, presented by The R&A and ANNIKA Foundation. The event was held at Pilar Golf from Nov. 18-21.
Miranda opened the 72-hole tournament with a six-over par 78, putting her in a tie for 45th place before her ascension up the leaderboard.
The Puebla, Mexico, native shot a one-under par 71 on Friday to move up 14 spots into a tie for 31st. She followed with a one-over par 73 to move just outside of the top 20 on Saturday before shooting a two-over par 74 Sunday to round out the tournament.
Miranda moved up 33 spots on the leaderboard over her final 54 holes. She finished with an eight-over par 296 to finish in an eight-way tie for 12th place. Miranda had two birdies during the first round, six during Round 2, and three in each of her final two rounds.
Valery Plata edged Maria Jose Marin Negrete by one shot for the tournament win with a 12-under 276.
Miranda also had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on Nov. 20 in between the third and fourth rounds when she got to take part in a putting clinic with 10-time major and eight-time Player of the Year honoree Annika Sorenstam.
During her first fall with the Hawkeyes, Miranda posted a team-leading 73.67 scoring average over 12 rounds. She posted one top 10 finish – a runner-up showing at the Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate – and two top 20 finishes. She had four rounds at or below par in the four fall tournaments.
The Hawkeyes will return to action Jan. 31 at the Big Ten Match Play in Palm Harbor, Florida.