DE LA FUENTE WINS 2024 LATIN AMERICA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP AT SANTA MARIA GOLF CLUB
Panamá City, Panamá (January 26, 2024) – Santiago De la Fuente of Mexico shot a final round 6-under 64 at the 2024 Latin America Amateur Championship securing a two-shot victory over countryman Omar Morales and earning spots in the fields of the 2024 Masters at Augusta National, the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, and The Open Championship at Royal Troon. Played at Santa Maria Golf Club in Panama City, Panamá, January 18-21, De la Fuente finished the four-round Championship at 10-under par (270), two strokes ahead of Morales (8-under, 272) and seven shots ahead of Mateo Fuenmayor of Colombia.
Santiago De la Fuente of Mexico celebrates winning on the No. 18 green during the final round of the 2024 Latin America Amateur Championship at the Santa María Golf Club in Panamá on Sunday, January 21, 2024. Photograph by LAAC.
De la Fuente, who had finished top ten in the last two Latin America Amateur Championships before breaking through this year, is currently a senior at the University of Houston, while Morales is a junior at UCLA. De la Fuente is the second player from Mexico to win the Latin America Amateur Championship, joining Álvaro Ortiz in 2019.
Players from 29 IOC-recognized countries and territories from across Latin America were represented in the 108-player field. The field was led by 12 players inside the top 200 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), including Mexico’s Morales (No. 83), José Islas (No. 90) and De la Fuente (No. 96) inside the top 100. Aaron Jarvis (No. 445), the 2022 Latin America Amateur champion, made his third straight appearance and fourth overall.
Founded by the Masters Tournament, The R&A and the USGA in 2014, the Latin America Amateur Championship was established to further develop amateur golf in South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. The event annually moves to top courses throughout Latin America and showcases the sport’s rising talent in the region. Notable past competitors include Colombia’s Nico Echavarria and Sebastian Muñoz, Argentina’s Alejandro Tosti and Chile’s Mito Pereira and Joaquin Niemann, the latter of which won the 2018 Championship.
A standard bearer walks the No. 1 hole during the third round of the 2024 Latin America Amateur Championship at the Santa María Golf Club in Panamá on Saturday, January 20, 2024. Photograph by LAAC.
In January 2023, The Masters Tournament, The R&A and the USGA awarded the Latin America Amateur Championship to Santa María Golf Club. The course was designed by Nicklaus Design and offers views of the nearby Panamá City skyline. The par-72, 7,153-yard course opened for play in 2012 and has since hosted elite junior events over the past decade. The parkland-style golf course northeast of downtown Panamá City features undulating greens and presents a number of bunkers and lakes. Named one of the “Best 50 Courses of the Caribbean and Mexico” by Golfweek, Santa María Golf Club is part of the Santa Maria private residential golf community located alongside the prestigious Costa del Este neighborhood of Panama City.
Santa María Golf Club is managed by Troon. In 2023, Santa María Golf Club was awarded the prestigious ‘Distinguished Club’ distinction by BoardRoom magazine and is one of only eight clubs outside of the U.S. to receive the award. BoardRoom magazine, the official publication of the Association of Private Club Directors, annually recognizes a select number of Distinguished Clubs based on a proprietary criteria and evaluation process that distills and measures a club’s Member Experience.
For more information on Santa María Golf Club, visit www.santamariapanama.com/golf. For additional information on the Latin America Amateur Championship, visit www.laacgolf.com.
About Troon
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf and golf-related hospitality management company, providing services at 850-plus locations, including operational responsibility for 575-plus 18-hole equivalent golf courses around the globe. In addition to golf, Troon specializes in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues. Troon’s award-winning food and beverage division operates and manages 600-plus food and beverage operations located at golf resorts, private clubs, daily fee golf courses and recreational facilities. With properties located in 45-plus states and 35-plus countries, Troon’s family of brands includes Troon Golf, Troon Privé, Troon International, Indigo Sports, CADDIEMASTER, ClubUp, Cliff Drysdale Tennis, Peter Burwash International, True Club Solutions, RealFood Hospitality, Strategy and Design, Casa Verde Golf, ICON Management and Eventive Sports. For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com, TroonMagazine.com or connect with Troon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Troon Chronicles, Press Room, and via The Turn Podcast.
Media Contact:
Rob Myers
Troon
480.477.0506
rmyers@troon.com