2020 Results

2020 Results

17-Year-Old Gallegos Captures Argentina’s First LAAC Victory

Date

January 16-19, 2020

Venue

Mayakoba’s El Camaleón,

Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Par

36-35–71

Length

7,003 yards

Opened

2006

pattern
2020 Laac 16398 EBc-scaled

Argentina’s Abel Gallegos used a combination of power and panache to claim his country’s first victory at the Latin America Amateur Championship, shooting a dazzling four-under-par 67 on Sunday to win by four strokes at Mayakoba’s El Camaleón Golf Club. Mexico’s Aaron Terrazas inspired the home fans with a thrilling late charge and a 67 to finish runner-up, while Colombia’s Jose Vega shot 74 to take third place.

With the victory, the 17-year-old Gallegos became the second-youngest LAAC champion and earned exemptions into a pair of especially coveted tournaments: the 2020 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club and The 149th Open at Royal St George’s in July. He can also play in The Amateur Championship, the U.S. Amateur and any other USGA amateur event for which he is eligible, including the final stage of qualifying for the 120th U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

Gallegos, who hails from the small town of 25 de Mayo, about two hours outside of Buenos Aires, learned the game on a modest nine-hole course named Las Mulitas, or Little Mules, but will be the 14th Argentine and just the third amateur from Argentina to compete in the Masters Tournament.

Vega made a surge in the middle of the championship, shooting 65 in the second round on Friday to seize the lead and held it after a 72 on Saturday. After three days of high winds on the Riviera Maya, the conditions for the final round were more conducive to scoring. The field produced just 10 rounds under par in the first three days combined, but 12 players broke par on the last day including Terrazas, who played one group in front of the leaders and birdied three of his last six holes to apply some pressure.

Gallegos, however, couldn’t be caught. Starting the day two shots behind Vega, Gallegos made a slick par on the opening hole when he snaked an approach shot from out of the jungle up to the green while Vega bogeyed. Gallegos pulled level with a birdie on No. 3, then zoomed away from Vega and the rest of the field with masterful closing kick. Gallegos made just one double bogey all week and played his final 20 holes in six under par. He birdied the last hole to finish in style.

Venue Information

Opened in 2006, El Camaleón was designed by two-time Open Champion and World Golf Hall of Fame member Greg Norman. In 2007, the course became the home of the Mayakoba Golf Classic, the first official PGA TOUR event to be contested outside the U.S. and Canada. 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.

2020 Results

POS

PLAYER

COUNTRY

R1

R2

R3

R4

TOTAL

SCORE

1

Abel Gallegos

ARG

73

70

70

67

280

-4

2

Aaron Terrazas

MEX

72

74

71

67

284

E

3

Jose Vega

COL

74

65

72

74

285

1

4

Ivan Camilo Ramirez

COL

68

76

72

72

288

4

5

Gabriel Morgan Birke

CHI

70

73

73

73

289

5

T6

Benjamin Saiz-Wenz

CHI

74

70

75

71

290

6

T6

Julian Perico

PER

76

73

72

69

290

6

8

Segundo Oliva Pinto

ARG

74

72

76

69

291

7

T9

Lukas Roessler

CHI

70

72

76

74

292

8

T9

Emilio Gonzalez

MEX

74

78

69

71

292

8

T11

Matias Dominguez

CHI

77

74

73

69

293

9

T11

Andy Schonbaum

ARG

77

69

78

69

293

9

T13

Andrey Xavier Borges

BRA

77

69

78

70

294

10

T13

Chris Nido

PUR

77

77

72

68

294

10

T13

Guilherme Nunes Grinberg

BRA

73

74

74

73

294

10

16

Agustin Errazuriz

CHI

80

74

71

71

296

12

T17

Horacio Carbonetti

ARG

74

72

74

77

297

13

T17

Toto Gana

CHI

77

78

72

70

297

13

T19

Carlos Bustos

CHI

78

73

73

74

298

14

T19

Mateo Fernandez De Oliveira

ARG

73

77

78

70

298

14

T19

Andres Caballero

MEX

77

75

76

70

298

14

T19

Camilo Avila

BOL

77

73

75

73

298

14

T19

Jesus Montenegro

ARG

78

71

76

73

298

14

T24

Jose Miguel Ramirez

VEN

76

75

72

76

299

15

T24

Juan Cayro Delgado

DOM

74

77

74

74

299

15

T24

Omar Morales Nacif

MEX

78

74

77

70

299

15

T24

Rodrigo Sol

ESA

76

75

77

71

299

15

T28

Santiago Quintero

VEN

75

76

77

74

302

18

T28

Alvaro Ortiz

CRC

78

71

77

76

302

18

T28

Jarryd Dillas

BER

81

72

75

74

302

18

T28

Justin Hastings

CAY

76

78

75

73

302

18

32

Enrique Valverde

DOM

73

76

79

75

303

19

T33

Santiago de la Fuente del Valle

MEX

77

75

79

73

304

20

T33

Nicolas Escobar

ECU

74

80

77

73

304

20

T33

Lucas JH Park

BRA

76

77

77

74

304

20

T36

Fred Biondi

BRA

81

72

80

72

305

21

T36

Daniel Gurtner

GUA

77

78

76

74

305

21

T36

Gabriel Ruiz Trevino

MEX

74

78

76

77

305

21

T39

Eduardo Carrete

MEX

76

76

81

74

307

23

T39

Renato Naula

ECU

75

76

81

75

307

23

41

Juan Francisco Mejia

COL

72

80

81

75

308

24

T42

Justin Burrowes

JAM

78

75

83

73

309

25

T42

Pablo Castellanos

GUA

76

77

82

74

309

25

T42

Lucas Rosso

CHI

78

74

80

77

309

25

T42

Miguel Ordonez

PAN

78

74

76

81

309

25

T46

Daniel Faccini

COL

77

78

83

74

312

28

T46

Paul Chaplet

CRC

76

76

80

80

312

28

T46

Pedro Baek Bang

PAR

75

77

83

77

312

28

49

Eduardo Galdos

PER

77

77

80

80

314

30

50

Patricio Freundt-Thurne

PER

76

76

79

85

316

32

51

Ricardo Davila

GUA

81

74

82

81

318

34

52

Kevin Ferris

ISV

78

76

81

86

321

37

T53

Alejandro Madariaga

MEX

73

83

156

14

T53

Jan Hellema

CHI

81

75

156

14

T53

Max Alverio

PUR

80

76

156

14

T53

Miguel Reyes

URU

77

79

156

14

T53

Patrick Sparks

PER

77

79

156

14

T58

Nicolas Cimadevilla

ECU

82

75

157

15

T58

Devaughn Robinson

BAH

81

76

157

15

T58

William Knibbs

JAM

76

81

157

15

T58

Konrad Brauckmeyer

VEN

78

79

157

15

T58

Santiago Bustamante

COL

79

78

157

15

T58

Santiago Chamorro

COL

83

74

157

15

T58

Andrew Jarvis

CAY

79

78

157

15

T65

Ezequiel Prieto

VEN

80

78

158

16

T65

Simon Correa

COL

78

80

158

16

T65

Luis Ruiz

MEX

75

83

158

16

T65

Jorge Luciano Melendez

GUA

79

79

158

16

T69

Cristian Terceros

BOL

82

77

159

17

T69

Jorge Villar

MEX

78

81

159

17

T69

Erick Morales

PUR

78

81

159

17

T69

Andres Aranguren

PUR

83

76

159

17

T69

Daniel Cano

PAR

82

77

159

17

T69

Ernesto Marin

NCA

79

80

159

17

T75

Matheus Park

BRA

83

77

160

18

T75

Sachin Kumar

TTO

81

79

160

18

T75

Esteban Missura

ECU

85

75

160

18

T75

German Tagle

ARG

83

77

160

18

79

Gabriel Vanososte

TTO

85

76

161

19

T80

Luis Gerardo Garza

MEX

84

78

162

20

T80

Luis Cargiulo

PAN

82

80

162

20

T80

Felix Dominguez Olaizola

VEN

81

81

162

20

T83

Rhadames Pena

DOM

79

84

163

21

T83

Juan Ignacio De Giacomi

ARG

87

76

163

21

T83

Jeronimo Esteve

PUR

77

86

163

21

T86

Daniel Kenji Ishii

BRA

86

78

164

22

T86

Anders Axelsson

PAN

79

85

164

22

T86

Juan Camilo Vesga

COL

84

80

164

22

T86

Kevin Donegan O’Connell

ISV

81

83

164

22

T90

Juan Pablo Diaz Munoz

ECU

86

79

165

23

T90

Ian Aldarondo

PUR

88

77

165

23

T90

Smith Galvez Chavez

PER

87

78

165

23

T90

Alejandro Restrepo

VEN

82

83

165

23

T94

Felipe Garces Garzon

ECU

86

80

166

24

T94

Walker Campbell

BER

87

79

166

24

T94

Felipe Darquea

ECU

82

84

166

24

T97

Ricardo Mendez

VEN

84

83

167

25

T97

Paul Tsavoussis

BAH

83

84

167

25

T97

Pablo Lacayo

NCA

81

86

167

25

T100

James Johnson

BAR

84

86

170

28

T100

Iz Hustler

BAR

92

78

170

28

T102

Facundo Alvarez

URU

87

86

173

31

T102

Tino Flores

ESA

86

87

173

31

104

Yadhu Urs

LCA

95

93

188

46

105

Victor Charles

LCA

102

99

201

59

106

Desinor Pierre

HAI

95

112

207

65

107

Geoffry Schacher

HON

99

WD

WD

WD

108

Alejandro Villavicencio

GUA

WD

WD

WD