The 11th edition of the Latin America Amateur Championship will be played from January 15–18, 2026, at Lima Golf Club in the Peruvian capital. A total of 108 players representing 29 countries will compete for the title in the region’s premier amateur Championship — widely regarded as a major for Latin American amateurs.
Founded by the Masters Tournament, The R&A and the USGA, the Latin America Amateur Championship was created to foster the development of amateur golf across South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. The champion will earn invitations to the 2026 Masters Tournament at Augusta National, The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale and the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club — three of the most prestigious events in the sport. The winner will also receive exemptions into the 2026 Amateur Championship and the 2026 U.S. Amateur Championship. In addition, the runner-up(s) will earn spots in Final Qualifying for both The Open and the 2026 U.S. Open, while the top three finishers will receive invitations to The Amateur Championship this year.
The field will feature strong representation from across the region, with host nation Peru leading the way alongside Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and Panama — each with six players. Paraguay and Puerto Rico follow with five representatives apiece, while Ecuador, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic will each send four players.
Notable numbers:
• Of the 106 players confirmed so far, 28 players will make their debut at the Latin America Amateur, while 78 have previously competed.
• 65 players competed at the 2025 Latin America Amateur at Pilar Golf Club in Argentina, including 10 who finished inside the Top 10: Patrick Sparks (runner-up), Gerardo Gómez (T3), Segundo Oliva Pinto (T3), Gabriel Palacios (T3), Jeronimo Esteve (T6), Erich Fortlage (T6), Mateo Pulcini (T6), Leandro Mihaich (T10), Simón Roessler (T10) and Jose Antonio Safa (T10).
• 13 players return to the Championship after not being part of the field in 2025: Romanus Inglis (first appearance since 2019), Sebastian Barnoya (2022), Enrique Valverde (2022), Juan Delgado (2023), Jaime Yzaga (2023), Max Alverio (2024), Benjamin Chavez (2024), Daniel Faccini (2024), Franco Fernández (2024), Richard Gibson Jr. (2024), Oshae Haye (2024), Alejandro Rivas (2024) and Guillermo Rothe (2024).
• Miguel Ordoñez (Panama) is the only player to have competed in every edition of the Latin America Amateur Championship.
• The field includes 30 players under the age of 20, 46 players aged 25 or older, and 12 aged 40 or older.
• 27 players are currently attending college in the United States, representing 26 schools.
• 32 players are graduates of U.S. universities, representing 31 institutions.
The Championship will also feature players whose strong performances in past editions stand out regardless of their current position in the World Amateur Golf Ranking™ (WAGR™). Among them: 2022 champion Aaron Jarvis (Cayman Islands); 2025 runner-up Patrick Sparks (Peru); Gerardo Gómez (Mexico), T3 in 2025; Segundo Oliva Pinto (Argentina), who has posted top-15 finishes in all five of his appearances; and Andrew Jarvis (Cayman Islands), T5 in 2024. This group brings experience, pedigree and a proven competitive record.
Several rising players with standout results this season will also be in the field: Gabriel Palacios (Guatemala) is the top-ranked competitor and recently won the men’s individual Gold Medal at the Junior Pan American Games; Tomas Restrepo (Colombia), champion of the Toyota Junior World Cup in Japan; Erich Fortlage (Paraguay), who has finished inside the Top 15 in the last three Latin America Amateurs and posted two collegiate Top-10s this season; and Carlos Astiazaran (Mexico), making his debut after winning the 2024 Mexican National Amateur Championship.
Generational diversity is another hallmark of the 2026 field. The youngest competitor will be 13-year-old Luka Peterman of Costa Rica, while the oldest will also be Costa Rican: 54-year-old Guillermo Rothe. The average age of the field is 26, reflecting a dynamic blend of emerging talent and seasoned experience.
The 2026 Latin America Amateur Championship promises to be an exceptional week of golf in Lima. The region’s finest amateur talent will compete not only for a historic title, but also for one of the most coveted opportunities in the amateur game: direct entry into three majors — an achievement with the potential to transform both the careers and lives of these competitors.
