The 11th edition of the Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) will be contested January 15–18, 2026, at Lima Golf Club in Peru’s capital city. A total of 108 players from 29 countries will compete for the title of the region’s most important amateur golf championship, widely regarded as the Major of Latin American amateur golf.
Founded by the Masters Tournament, The R&A, and the USGA, the Latin America Amateur Championship was created to promote the development of amateur golf in South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The LAAC champion will earn invitations to compete in the 2026 Masters Tournament at Augusta National, The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, and the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club—three of the most prestigious tournaments in world golf. In addition, the champion will receive exemptions into The Amateur Championship and the U.S. Amateur Championship in 2026. The runner-up(s) will receive exemptions into Final Qualifying for The Open and the U.S. Open in 2026, while the top three finishers will earn invitations to compete in The Amateur Championship.
The championship field will feature strong representation from across the region, with special emphasis on host nation Peru, along with Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, and Panama, each represented by six players. Paraguay and Puerto Rico follow with five players each, while Ecuador, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic will each contribute four players.
Key numbers and facts:
28 players will be making their debut at the Latin America Amateur Championship, while 78 have previously competed in the event.
65 players competed in the 2025 LAAC 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), Jerónimo Esteve (T6), Erich Fortlage (T6), Mateo Pulcini (T6), Leandro Mihaich (T10), Simón Roessler (T10), and José Antonio Safa (T10).
13 players return to the LAAC after not being part of the 2025 field: Romanus Inglis (first appearance since 2019), Sebastián Barnoya (2022), Enrique Valverde (2022), Juan Delgado (2023), Jaime Yzaga (2023), Max Alverio (2024), Benjamín Chávez (2024), Daniel Faccini (2024), Franco Fernández (2024), Richard Gibson Jr. (2024), Oshae Haye (2024), Alejandro Rivas (2024), and Guillermo Rothe (2024).
Miguel Ordóñez (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 players aged 40 or older.
27 players are currently enrolled at U.S. universities, representing 26 institutions.
32 players are graduates of U.S. universities, representing 31 institutions.
The tournament will also feature players who, regardless of their current position in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), have delivered standout performances in previous LAAC editions. Among them are Aaron Jarvis (Cayman Islands), the 2022 champion; Patrick Sparks (Peru), runner-up in 2025; Gerardo Gómez (Mexico), T3 in 2025; Segundo Oliva Pinto (Argentina), a Top-15 finisher in all five editions he has played; and Andrew Jarvis (Cayman Islands), T5 in 2024. This group brings experience, pedigree, and a proven competitive track record.
Also in the field are players who have posted strong results this season and project significant upside, including Gabriel Palacios (Guatemala), who enters as the highest-ranked player and recently won the men’s individual gold medal at the Pan American Junior Games; Tomás Restrepo (Colombia), champion of the Toyota Junior World Cup in Japan; Erich Fortlage (Paraguay), who has finished inside the Top 15 in each of the last three LAAC editions and recorded two individual Top-10 finishes during the collegiate season; and Carlos Astiazarán (Mexico), who will make his LAAC debut as the most recent winner of the Mexican National Amateur Championship.
Generational diversity is another hallmark of LAAC 2026. The youngest player in the field will be Costa Rican Luka Peterman, just 13 years old, while the oldest will also be from Costa Rica: 54-year-old Guillermo Rothe. The average age of the field is 26, reflecting a balance between emerging youth and seasoned experience.
The Latin America Amateur Championship 2026 promises a week of world-class golf in Lima, with the region’s top amateur talent competing not only for a historic title, but also for one of the most coveted opportunities in amateur golf: direct access to three Major championships—an achievement that can change a career, and a life.
For more information about the LAAC, please visit LAACgolf.com and follow @LAAC_Golf on Twitter and Instagram.
About the Masters Tournament
Inspired by its founders, Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, the Masters Tournament has helped promote the game of golf since its inception in 1934. The Masters seeks to preserve the integrity of the game, celebrate sportsmanship, honor champions, positively impact communities through philanthropy, and reinvest as much as possible in the development of golf. The Masters Tournament is focused on governing and supporting golf, especially for amateur players and youth around the world.
For more information, visit www.masters.com
About The R&A
Based in St Andrews, Scotland, The R&A (whose name derives from the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, though it now operates independently) works to support the sport of golf, organizes The Open Championship, major amateur events, and international tournaments. It is the governing body for golf worldwide, representing more than 30 million golfers in 143 countries, with the consent of 158 amateur and professional organizations—except in the United States and Mexico, which fall under the jurisdiction of the USGA. Together with the USGA, The R&A shares responsibility for a single code governing the Rules of Golf, Amateur Status, Equipment Standards, the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and the World Handicap System (WHS).
For more information, visit www.randa.org
About the USGA
Founded in 1894, the USGA advances the game of golf and organizes many of the sport’s premier professional and amateur championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, and U.S. Senior Open. Alongside The R&A, the USGA governs the game through a unified set of global rules covering play, equipment, and amateur status. The USGA’s jurisdiction for these governance functions applies in the United States, its territories, and Mexico.
The USGA Handicap System is used in more than 40 countries, and its Course Rating and Certification System covers 95 percent of golf courses worldwide, enabling golfers everywhere to compete on an equitable basis. The USGA’s campus in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, is home to the Association’s Research and Testing Center, where science and innovation are fueling a healthy and sustainable future for the game. The campus also houses the USGA Golf Museum, which honors the game by curating the world’s most comprehensive archive of golf artifacts.
For more information, visit www.usga.org