The inaugural LAAC Academy was launched in August at Casa de Campo in Dominican Republic. A group of 12 players from developing golf nations in Latin America received instruction by specialized coaches from the region.
Five months later, nine of the Academy students were in the field of the 11th
Latin America Amateur in Lima Golf Club, Peru and five of them made the cut to play on the weekend: 16-year-old Andrés Martínez Benedetti, from Venezuela, 18-year-old Mauricio Tello, from Peru, 17-year-old Matías Calderón, from Guatemala, 17-year-old Vicente Quiroga, from Bolivia, and 17-year-old Evan Peña, from Puerto Rico.
“The championship is really just the beginning. It’s great that we are doing this and creating these heroes that we’ve talked about who’d have an impact as they go back home to their countries. That’s just a catalyst for these other things, and the Academy is really sort of the next step,” said Fred Ridley, Chairman of The Masters Tournament and one of the masterminds behind the inaugural LAAC Academy.
Two clear examples of the impact of the Academy are Calderón, who made the cut for the first time in his second time playing in the event, and rookie Martínez Benedetti, who finished his second round in second position.
“The Academy coaches have helped me prepare and stay focused this week. I could feel a big difference with my putting and the way I planned my shots,” said Calderón, who missed the cut at his first appearance in Pilar Golf Club, Argentina one year ago.
“I spent all last year preparing for and dreaming of this moment. I am very proud that after all the work with my family and my coaches things have turned so well,” said Martínez Benedetti after his second round of his Latin America Amateur debut. He also gave special credit to Colombian coach Andrés Echavarría, who is in charge of performance and course management at the Academy.
“I am really focused on the part of the game not connected with technique. If I can help them learn a little faster than they normally would, I feel I have done my job,” said Echavarría, who competed at the 2014 U.S. Open and caddied for his brother Nico at the 2016 LAAC in Casa de Campo.
Echavarría is now part of a high-level coaching team including Argentines Hernán Rey and Santiago Garat, and Panamanian Miguel Ordoñez.
“Since the beginning in 2015, the Latin America Amateur has always been very emotional and very personal for me,” said Ordoñez, who also made the cut at Lima Golf Club representing his country and is a Special Advisor to the Academy.
Similar to its precursor, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship Golf Academy, the essential topics at the LAAC Academy covered swing evaluations, course management and stat tracking, short game, fitness, mental skills, equipment fitting and competition.
“We are working on them trying to create their own DNA as players, their own recipe, understanding who they are, how they play, and their mechanics,” said Hernan Rey, a swing expert who has coached a few Latin America Amateur Champions, including Argentines Abel Gallegos (2020) and Mateo Fernández de Oliveira (2023).
“They have the opportunity to go back to their countries and become multiplying agents when they share the knowledge and the experience. I hope they understand the responsibility that comes with the opportunity they are getting,” added Ordoñez, the only player who has competed in all 11 editions of the Latin America Amateur Championship.
