PANAMA CITY – The 2024 Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC), organized by the Masters Tournament, The R&A and the USGA, will include extensive broadcast coverage around the world. Fans can tune in to the ninth edition of the Championship – highlighted by 108 of the top male amateurs in the region – held at Santa Maria Golf Club in Panamá City, Panamá, January 18-21.
The 72-hole, stroke-play Championship aims to further develop the game of golf in South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. ESPN platforms will provide event coverage in Panama, as well as throughout Latin America and the United States. Other broadcasters include Fox Sports (Australia), TSN (Canada), Warner Bros. Discovery Sports (throughout Europe), SBS Golf (Korea), SpoTV (Southeast Asia), SuperSport (Southern Africa) and Sky Sports (United Kingdom). All of the coverage will also be streamed live on LAACgolf.com.
The broadcast’s commentary team features Rich Lerner as host, Andy North as analyst, Iona Stephen and Colt Knost as on-course reporters and John Sutcliffe handling interviews. The first and second rounds will air live from 2-5 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 18 and Friday, January 19, while weekend coverage of the third and final rounds will air from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 20 and Sunday, January 21. Championship highlights will air on Sunday, January 21, following the completion of play; viewers may check local listings for specific broadcast times.
First Round | Thursday, January 18 | 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. |
Second Round | Friday, January 19 | 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. |
Third Round | Saturday, January 20 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. |
Final Round | Sunday, January 21 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. |
The field – which consists of players from 28 countries and territories across Latin America – will vie for the prestigious title, which provides an invitation to the Masters Tournament and exemptions into The Open and the U.S. Open, provided the champion retains his amateur status.
A trio of Mexican golfers – Omar Morales (WAGR No. 74), Santiago De la Fuente (No. 89) and Jose Islas (No. 115) – lead this year’s field, with the Cayman Islands’ Justin Hastings (No. 97), Trinidad and Tobago’s Chris Richards Jr. (No. 106), Bolivia’s Christian Terceros (No. 146) and Panamá’s Omar Tejeira (No. 150) joining the trio inside the top-150 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. The Cayman Islands’ Aaron Jarvis, champion of the 2022 Latin America Amateur, will also return as will three top-five finishers from 2023: Islas and Argentina’s Vicente Marzilio and Manuel Lozada.
The Latin America Amateur Championship was created in 2014 as a joint initiative between the Masters Tournament, The R&A and the USGA. Notable alumni include Fred Biondi, Nico Echavarria, Sebastian Muñoz, Joaquin Niemann, Alvaro Ortiz, Raul Pereda, Mito Pereira and Alejandro Tosti. The Championship returns for the second time to Panamá, which hosted the third edition of the Championship in 2017 at Club de Golf de Panamá.
For more information, please visit LAACgolf.com.
