Latin America Amateur Championship Adds U.S. Open Exemption for Winner

The 2023 LAAC champion will receive an invitation to the U.S. Open in addition to the Masters and British Open.

Winning the Latin America Amateur Championship is an incredible achievement on its own, but the victory also comes with some prestigious perks: a spot in the British Open, the Masters Tournament, and now, the U.S. Open. 

The LAAC announced the additional winner’s exemption on Thursday morning, as the 2023 championship kicked off at Puerto Rico’s Grand Reserve Golf Club. 

“We are excited to grant an exemption into the U.S. Open to the champion of the Latin America Amateur Championship beginning this June at the Los Angeles Country Club,” said USGA CEO Mike Whan. “The addition of this exemption furthers our commitment to developing golf across Latin America and recognizes the level of talent that competes for this championship.”

The tournament, which was founded by the Masters, the R&A and the USGA in 2014, continues to give a stage to top amateur golfers from South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean each year. 

Past competitors in the event include Sebastian Munoz, who is ranked 86th in the world, and No. 22 Joaquin Niemann, the 2018 LAAC champion. 

In addition to the three coveted major championship invitations, the winner will be exempt into the U.S. Amateur championship.

The 108-man field this year includes defending champion and UNLV sophomore Aaron Jarvis. The 20-year-old from the Cayman Islands currently sits four strokes back from first-round leader Mateo Fuenmayor. Fuenmayor, who fired a 6-under 66, hails from Colombia and is a junior at Oregon State University.