Panama with seven players in Latin America Amateur

Panama hosts the Latin American Amateur Championship (LAAC) with the dream of crowning his first champion, and to do so, he will be represented by golfers: Miguel Ordónez, Samuel Durán, Carlos Clement, Omar Tejeira, Jean Paul Ducruet, Diego Álvarez and Raúl Carbonel.

A prestigious tournament that gathers the best in the region returns to Panama After 7 years, Santa María Golf Club, a course designed by Jack Nicklaus, opened its doors in 2012.

He the champion of the Latin American Amateur Championship will play the 2024 Masters tournament at Augusta National and the 152nd Open in Royal Troon, and the 124th US Open to be played in Pinehurst no. 2. In addition, the runner-up will receive an exemption to participate in the final stage of qualification with the possibility of entering The Open and the US Open next year. Additionally, the winner will be invited to participate in Amateur Championship and US Amateur Championship 2024as well as any other USGA Amateur Championship for which you are eligible.

In that year 2017, place Miguel Ordoñez was the only Panamanian who came through the qualifiers, achieving a creditable 8th place at the Panama Golf Club, his best historical performance, but also sowed the seeds for more and more domestic players to dream of reaching the pinnacle of world golf.

An example of this is that in the last edition which is played in Puerto Ricofour Panamanian players passed through the qualifying part, which is the highest number in the eight editions of this tournament.

Headed by Ordoñezthe domestic delegation has a combination of experience and youth that creates many expectations. At the age of 40, Ordóñez has played in all editions of the LAAC, in three of them he has been among the players, and he is undoubtedly one of the players who knows the home ground best. “I know Santa Maria Golf Club very good, I’ve been here since opening day and have played it many times. I also met the designer, I know what he tried to do when he designed it and it’s definitely a yard that I think will shine. The wind will also be a factor and you need to hit it very well off the tee and then be positioned in the right places on the greens as they have a lot of movement and undulation. So I definitely think when you play at home you have home court advantage,” said the player who won two in 2023. events held in Panama.

Ordóñez is proud to have been one of the names that began to shape the development of golf in Panama. “I think that in the seven years that have passed since 2017, golf has grown a lot, primarily for children and youth. There is definitely a lot of enthusiasm for it. golf in panama today. I think we are doing things quite well and our results have improved. So, without a doubt, this will be another great opportunity to continue to promote and promote the sport,” he said of the impact LAAC has had which shows that there are already more than 5,000 players in the country.

For Omar Tejeira It is also of great significance that LAAC is returning to its country. “Golf in Panama is growing and certainly after the LAAC passed in 2017 it gained an unparalleled momentum. Panama has a lot of sports talent and what we see is that every day we are positioning ourselves better and better at the regional level. I feel very optimistic about what Panama golf will present to the world with this LAAC and the years to come“, said the 33-year-old who finished 22nd in 2022 and 26th in 2023.

Tejeira won twice cconsecutive Santa María Amateur Open which is played every year on the home field. “I have known the Santa María Golf Club for many years. It’s a course that I really enjoy playing and I know it very well and I’ve played a lot of rounds, working on confidence, on a strategy that works for me on the course,” said Tejeira, who is ranked 150th. WAGR (World Amateur Golf Ranking), the position he reached after winning in the first week of January in Panama Cup for amateurs.

In addition to the two experienced players, there will be four more players in the game. Raúl Carbonell has already played four times in the LAAC and his best performance was 34th in Puerto Rico last year. Young Jean Paul Ducruet, The 19-year-old will be participating for the second time, after taking 37th place in 2023. Meanwhile, Samuel Durán will be the youngest among the Panamanians, at only 16 years old. It will be the debut of Durán, who has already played Korn Ferry Tour Panama Championship last year and has a great future ahead of him.

On the other hand, 44-year-old Carlos Clement will do his thing the second performance, the previous one was also in Panama and did not exceed qualifying cut. Finally, Diego Álvarez, 17 years old, will play his second LAAC after participating in Puerto Rico 2023 where he finished 34th.

He Amateur Championship of Latin America was created for the further development of amateur golf in South and Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean.