La Romana, Dominican Republic, Jan 17, 2019: The Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) will be held in Mexico for the first time next year at Mayakoba’s El Camaleón Golf Club on Riviera Maya, January 16-19, 2020.
Championship organizers made the announcement today during the 2019 LAAC currently underway at Casa de Campo’s Teeth of the Dog in the Dominican Republic.
Founded by the Masters Tournament, The R&A and the USGA, the LAAC established to further develop amateur golf in South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean.
Along with an invitation to the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club awarded to the champion, the winner and the runner(s)-up are exempt into the final stages of qualifying for The Open and the US Open Championship.
The champion is also given full exemptions into The Amateur Championship, the U.S. Amateur Championship and any other USGA amateur championship for which he is eligible.
Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “The Latin America Amateur Championship has quickly established itself as a key date on the golfing calendar for elite men’s amateurs throughout this region.
I’m sure there will be many players who will be aiming to secure a place in the sixth staging of the championship next year and play at Mayakoba, which is a fantastic test of golf.
We are looking forward to taking the event to Mexico and to a venue with such an excellent championship pedigree.”
The course also hosted the World Amateur Team Championships in 2016.
El Camaleón plays along a stretch of crystal-clear freshwater canals surrounded by mangrove and limestone walls.
The 18-hole layout features paspalum grass, two holes along the Mexican Caribbean Sea and distinctive hazards, including cenotes (sink holes) and extensive bunkers.
“Mayakoba looks forward to hosting the Latin America Amateur Championship and the region’s premier amateur golfers in 2020,” said Borja Escalada, CEO of Mayakoba.
“El Camaleón was built as a true test for competitive play and this is a wonderful opportunity to represent Mexico as the backdrop for Latin America’s best and brightest young players.
In 2015, Matias Dominguez, of Chile, won the inaugural championship by one stroke at Pilar Golf in Argentina.
Paul Chaplet of Costa Rica won the second edition in 2016 at Casa de Campo’s Teeth of the Dog course in the Dominican Republic.
The next year Joaquin Niemann, then the world’s No. 1-ranked amateur, continued Chile’s dominance at the LAAC when he won in his hometown of Santiago at Prince of Wales Country Club.
This week’s LAAC at Casa de Campo’s Teeth of the Dog features 108 players from 28 countries and territories throughout Latin America.
Television coverage includes two hours of live broadcast across four continents on all four days of play.
For more information about the LAAC, including live scoring, spectator information, latest news and a roster of players competing, please visit LAACgolf.com.
About the Latin America Amateur Championship
In 2014, the Masters Tournament, The R&A and the USGA announced the formation of the Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) in an effort to further develop amateur golf throughout this region, and specifically in South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean.
The LAAC follows a model established by the Masters and The R&A when, in 2009, the organizations created the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) for the purpose of advancing the sport in that part of the world and creating heroes other aspiring golfers would emulate.
The effort there has been an astonishing success with the likes of Hideki Matsuyama very quickly personifying desired ambitions, and in much less time than ever imagined.
The 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.
The champion receives an invitation to compete in the Masters Tournament, an exemption into The Amateur Championship, U.S. Amateur Championship and any other USGA amateur championship for which he is eligible.
Both the champion and runner(s)-up receive an exemption into The Open Qualifying Series – Final Qualifying for The Open and sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open.
About Mayakoba
Located on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, just 15 minutes from Playa del Carmen, Mayakoba is an ecological complex on the coasts of the Mexican Caribbean.
Mayakoba is a property of RLH Properties and is home of four luxury hotels – Andaz Mayakoba, Banyan Tree Mayakoba, Fairmont Mayakoba and Rosewood Mayakoba.
Surrounded by the natural beauty of its lagoons, pools and beaches, the resort also offers a spectacular 18-hole golf course designed by the PGA TOUR legend, Greg Norman.
The golf course is home of the Mayakoba Golf Classic – Mexico’s first-ever PGA TOUR event.
Six miles of fresh water canals surrounded by exotic mangroves and birds lead to a beautiful white sand beach and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea.
Guests peacefully transport in boats throughout the resort, contemplating a revolutionary vision of beauty and harmony. —- Photo Enrique Berardi / LAAC.
For more information, please visit: http://www.mayakoba.com.
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