IJGA Newsletter: The Oaks February 2020 | Page 6

ALUMNI AMONG THE BEST IN LATIN AMERICA The Latin America Amateur Championship is a tournament about opportunities. The formation of this event, first announced at the Masters in 2014, was a clear statement from the R&A and USGA to support the development of amateur golf throughout South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. Only the best players from each Latin American country are represented, and in a winner-takes-all event, this tournament has become one of the most competitive in amateur golf. The prize? Play in the two biggest Majors in golf, the Masters at Augusta and the Open at Royal St George’s. As a junior golf academy, our focus is to develop our students, from golf to character, so they have all the tools necessary to 6 achieve their dreams. We are proud to see our alumni Julian Perico (PER) and Luis Gerardo Garza (MEX) competing amongst the best, at such a prestigious event. Perico, who currently plays for the Arkansas Razorbacks, had a stellar performance finishing T6 in a field of 108 players. After a slow start with a first round of 76 (+5), he went on to improving his score every day and shooting only 1 over in the 3 following rounds. With a total score of +6 in 4 rounds, he secured a top 10 finish. The Colombian and Mexican delegations, two countries which IJGA has exclusive federation partnerships with, were also protagonists of this event. Aaron Terrazas (MEX) finished in 2nd place after an