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The best 108 amateurs from 28 countries in the region will be in Casa de Campo from January 17 to 20, 2019 to participate in the fifth edition of the Latin American Amateur Championship, the tournament that the players themselves called the amateurs “Mayor”.
Founded by the Masters Tournament, The R & A and the USGA, the LAAC was created to further develop amateur golf in South and Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. The champion of the Latin America Amateur Championship will play the Masters Tournament 2019 and, together with the player or players who finish in second place, will obtain the exemption to participate in the final qualifying stages with the chance to enter The 148th Open to be played at Royal Portrush and the US Open that will take place at Pebble Beach next year. In addition, the winner will be invited to participate in The Amateur Championship and the U.S. Amateur of 2019, like any other amateur championship of the USGA for which he is eligible.
For these benefits and the level of organization and competition, the players chose this championship as the most important throughout each season. The fans of the region know everything that is put into play in the Latin America Amateur Championship and none of them wants to miss it. That is why in recent years they modified the planning of their respective calendars with the goal of playing more tournaments to qualify for the LAAC. This is another reason why the contest has raised the bar for all these players, something that undoubtedly contributes to the development of golf in the countries that are part of this championship.
The key to enter the LAAC world
In order to qualify for the Latin America Amateur Championship, a player must appear in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGRTM). In addition, the former LAAC champions, the first five players of the previous championship, the two best players from each Federation / National Golf Association member of the International Golf Federation (IGF) in Latin America, and four other players from the host country automatically enter. The rest of the field of participants is completed by taking the next best ranked player in the WAGRTM. The maximum number of players is 8 for any nation and 10 for the host country.
The countries that will have more representatives in Teeth of the Dog, the track designed by Pete Dye, are: Chile with 8 players, then with 6 are the Dominican Republic (headquarters), Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala and Venezuela; and with 5 Peru.
To see the full field of LAAC 2019, click here: PLAYER LIST
All of them will play for the dream of reaching the Masters, having the chance to qualify for The Open and the U.S. Open, win a place to play The Amateur and the U.S. Amateur, and also to become the promises of the future of golf in the region.
Photos taken by Enrique Berardi / LAAC 2016 in Casa de Campo, Information courtesy of LAAC