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Rich Hastings gets emotional remembering both his then 14-year-old son’s first tee shot in the 2018 Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) in Prince of Wales Country Club, Chile, and their walk together on Saturday to the 18th green during their triumphant final round at Pilar Golf Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“We did not know what we were walking into. Then when we got there and saw the setup, the cameras… it was pretty overwhelming and he stepped right into it,” remembered Hastings Sr. about his first Latin America Amateur caddying for Justin. “That first LAAC was really special, I remember it like yesterday”.
The new Latin America Amateur champion has played five more editions since then, most of them with his father on the bag. “He caddied for me in the first edition, and he probably knew more golf than I did. Now the roles have reversed a little bit, and I am the veteran,” said Hastings, who became the first player from Cayman Islands to make the cut in the Championship in his 2018 debut.
“He just did his thing all week and it was pretty cool to witness,” said Aaron Jarvis, his teammate for the last five editions and the first Latin America Amateur champion from the Cayman Islands in 2022 at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic.
“He was there when I won and to be here when he won is pretty special. I will definitively be giving him some advice on what to expect at the big events,” added Jarvis, the only LAAC champion and the first player representing the Cayman Islands who has made the cut at The Open. (2022 in St Andrews).
With his victory at the 2025 Latin America Amateur, Hastings gets a “season pass to the golf big leagues” with an invitation to the 2025 Masters and exemptions to the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club and The 2025 Open at Royal Portrush, in addition to this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship and The Amateur Championship.
“The original plan was to turn pro after the college season in the summer. I realize this may have thrown a wrench in those plans, but that’s a pretty good wrench and problem to have,” said Hastings, a senior at San Diego State University (SDSU).
“Justin has improved every year that he’s been with us. He has a killer kind of demeanor that you can see in his eyes when he really wants something bad. He has worked really hard over the years, and he has become a great captain and leader for us,” said veteran SDSU Coach Ryan Donovan about Hastings’ college golf career that has run parallel to his LAAC journey.
Justin Hastings displayed that leadership and maturity walking to the tee of the 72nd hole at Pilar Golf. “Now it is more him managing us. There was a moment when he realized he was getting too emotional and he decided we were going to walk really slow to the 18th tee,” said his proud father and caddie.
Seven years after his first Latin America Amateur Championship, 21-year-old Justin Hastings will realize his golf “coming of age” during the practice rounds of the Masters Tournament along with another SDSU star, 2024 Champion Golfer of the Year, Xander Schauffele.
