With Omar Morales and Santiago de la Fuente co-leading after the first round, the Mexican players are in pole position in the race for the Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) at Santa María Golf Club in Panama.
“Any of the Mexicans in the field could win because they have a great combination of skills. They have very good technique, great heads, and plenty of grit,” said Alvaro Ortiz, the only LAAC Champion from Mexico, about his countrymen. Ortiz won at Casa de Campo, in the Dominican Republic, in 2019.
MEXICAN COLEADERS
Morales showed plenty of technique and mental strength during the morning wave, as the leader in the clubhouse and the only player under par. “I guess there's no secret. The key on this golf course is to hit it well, especially if you hit it far. It increases your opportunities for birdies,” said Morales after finishing one under par.
Morales, who led the field during his first nine holes of the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, finished his debut at the Latin America Amateur Championship with one double bogey, one bogey, and four birdies as the wind started to pick up ahead of the afternoon.
“It's hard because the wind blows in different directions, and it's blowing pretty hard. You might not feel it on some shots,” said the 20-year-old junior at UCLA about the conditions awaiting the players in the afternoon wave.
NAVIGATING THE WIND
Confronted by wind gusts that burst through the skyscrapers that surround the back nine, De La Fuente showed plenty of grit, finishing with a birdie on 18 to tie Morales and 19-year-old Jose Arzu, from Guatemala, at the end of the first day. The two Mexicans and the Guatemalan were the only players under par after what was a challenging opening first round at the LAAC.
“The wind was swirling in the afternoon. I am very happy with the result and the performance of the other Mexicans today,” said De la Fuente, who has finished top ten in the last two Latin America Amateur Championships. “My plan has been to stay focused in the present. On 18 I hit an easy 9-iron, and it hit the flag,” added the 22-year-old senior at the University of Houston.
LORENA’S COACH
“I am here to assist the Mexican players with any support they may need,” said Rafael Alarcon, the legendary coach behind the Hall of Fame career of Mexican Lorena Ochoa. “Golf in Mexico is in a fabulous condition. For a decade I have been saying that the level of golf is better every year. It is a great feeling.”
This is his first visit to the Latin American Amateur Championship, and Alarcon’s theory about the state of golf in Mexico – and Ortiz’s assessment of the Mexicans competing at Santa Maria Golf Club in Panama – are being validated.
“There is no doubt that the LAAC has sparked interest in amateurism, the essence of golf. All amateurs from the region aspire to participate in this great event and conquer the great rewards of competing in the Masters, the U.S. Open and The Open,” added Rafael Alarcon.
