Cuando el Masters Tournament, The R&A y la USGA se unieron para establecer el Latin America Amateur Championship, nadie podría haber imaginado el impacto que tendría sobre el golf en la región.
When the Masters Tournament, The R&A and USGA came together to establish the Latin America Amateur Championship, no one could have imagined the impact it would have on golf in the region.
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Here’s how you can follow-along with the Latin America Amateur Championship:
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Additional information:
The 8th edition of the Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) will be held from January 12-15, 2023, at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Puerto Rico.
Founded in 2014 by the Masters Tournament, The R&A and the USGA, the LAAC was established to further develop amateur golf in South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. The championship annually moves to top courses throughout Latin America and showcases the sport’s rising talent in the region, including PGA Tour winners and 2020 Olympians such as Joaquin Niemann of Chile, the 2018 LAAC champion, and Sebastián Muñoz of Colombia.
This year’s champion receives an invitation to compete in the 2022 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club and automatically qualifies for The 150th Open at St Andrews. The winner also receives full exemptions into The Amateur Championship, U.S. Amateur Championship and any other USGA amateur championship for which he is eligible and is exempt into the final stages of qualifying for the 2022 U.S. Open Championship.
The typical 120-player field is comprised annually of the top male amateurs in Latin America representing the 29 IOC-recognized countries and territories from this region that are current members of the International Golf Federation.
This is the ninth playing of the Latin American amateur championship and we’re at the beautiful Santa Maria Golf Club in Panama City for the founding Partners it’s another opportunity to grow the game in the region with invites to three of golf’s Majors awaiting for the champion our three organizations are
Involved in many initiatives this is the one that we all do together and it’s one that’s very important very special yeah I have a plaque in my office that says if you want to go fast go alone if you want to go far go together it’s about then the Next Generation the younger
Ones being able to see I want a piece of that I want to I want to be there next year I’m going to go and learn how to develop my game we all have the same Mission the same goals and that is to grow the game of golf to uh create
Pathways for players to uh Excel and to move up the ladder and this event in Latin America is certainly an example of that obviously the core event here was to generate real inspiration and real growth in the region but it’s a great example how when this game comes
Together we just make the game better Latin American golfers continue to be successful in professional golf including players who have in fact gone on to win at the highest level what do you think that says about the strength of this event and the potential of the players who compete in this Championship
Each year yeah the bottom line is when you change dreams dreams become reality I think we’re providing Pathways and opportunities here that maybe a young kid six seven eight 9 10 years old wouldn’t have even envisioned for themselves just 10 years ago the field is getting stronger every year both uh
At the top but also in in the bottom half of the field we have a lot more really good players that are showing up every year and that’s and that’s also showing up and how they’re doing throughout the uh the world where they play golf I’ve seen some wonderful
Things but I mean watching yokan Neiman win in Chile was just fantastic um and I’m sure he is inspired a whole group of the Next Generation in Chile and um to me that’s what we try to deliver in this championship and it’s our job just then
To get out of the way and let them show us how good they are we’re seeing more and more players uh really play well in a lot of different places and and we think that this event really has spurred a lot of that on we’re very proud of the
Fact that our open championships are open uh and that you can play your way into amateurs but um we think having a spot in the field uh whether that’s the US amateur or the US Open for this winter not only changes their lives but most importantly changed the lives of
Their kids and their kids kids for generations to come Augusta National from his founding his co-founder Bobby Jones has always felt that amateur golf was a very important part of the golf ecosystem and I think in the times we live in where there’s a lot of uncertainty in the game of golf
Particularly in the professional side the IM golf really becomes even more important the best players will find a way to learn and improve we’ve seen it at the open and I I greatly enjoy watching the the amateur tee off and I feel for them sometimes because they the
Challenge they’re about to undertake but it’s it’s a joy to watch the Next Generation go out there and you know we will get a major Champion coming out of the lack in the not too distant future and absolutely Certain
