PANAMA CITY – Omar Morales of Mexico leads by one after the second round of the Latin America Amateur Championship at Santa Maria Golf Club in Panama, Panama City.
Warm and windy conditions made it a tough day for scoring, but Morales, who hit the opening tee shot at last year’s U.S. Open at The Los Angeles Country Club, rose to the top of the leaderboard in the afternoon.
Morales traded three bogeys with two birdies on the front nine, but the highest-ranked player in the field (No. 72 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking) accelerated his round after the turn with birdies at the 11th and 12th. The 20-year-old produced a one-under 69 to finish two-under at the halfway point of the Championship.
“I think my shots off the tee were really good, and the lines I took on approach shots and how committed I was on each and every shot was really, really good, and I'm proud of that,” said Morales, whose brother is on the bag for him this week. “You know, my putting, I missed a couple putts on the front and back, so, just need to clean that up.”
One shot back is Mateo Fuenmayor of Colombia, who started fast with two birdies in his first six holes. The 21-year-old senior at Oregon State University did not let a double-bogey six at the seventh hole deter him and recovered shortly after with birdies at the 11th and the 15th to card a two-under round of 68.
“Yeah, it wasn't easy,” said Fuenmayor. “From the first hole there was wind and until the very end there was a lot of wind. But I'm hitting the ball very, very well and in these conditions it's very important to hit the ball well, to be very solid and to make sure the ball starts on line, and I've done a very good job of that. I've missed a couple putts but, at the same time, I've made the putts I've had to make and two‑putted a lot of the long putts, so I'm very happy with the performance.”
Brazil’s Andrey Xavier raced to three-under for the day after seven holes, but his momentum was checked with a bogey at the eighth. Making his fifth appearance in the Latin America Amateur, Xavier bounced back with a birdie at the 10th but slipped back with dropped shots at the 16th and 17th for a one-under 69 to sit at level par for the Championship.
Overnight leader Santiago de la Fuente is even with Xavier at the halfway stage. The 22-year-old Mexican began his day at the 10th and birdies at the 12th and the 14th took him to three-under for the Championship, but he stumbled with a bogey at the 18th before dropping two further shots on the sixth and seventh.
Argentina’s Vicente Marzilio is one-over. The runner-up in 2022 and third-place finisher last year continued his excellent form in the Latin America Amateur with an even-par 70 today.
Joint first-round leader José Arzú of Guatemala is two-over after posting a three-over 73 today.
The cut fell at 14-over 154 with 55 players advancing to the weekend. Players from 16 countries will be represented in the field for the final two rounds.
For more information on the Latin America Amateur Championship, please visit LAACgolf.com.
