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The 21-year-old Mexican Omar Morales arrives at his third Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC), at Pilar Golf Club in Argentina as the No. 13 amateur in the world according to the World Amateur Golf Ranking and the highest ranked player in the field.
“When you stand on the first tee, the rankings don’t mean anything,” said Morales. “In order to win, you have to play better than the rest of the other 107 in the field. Being the favorite does not guarantee that I am going to prevail.”
In the 2024 edition at Santa Maria Golf Club in Panama, Morales held at least a share of the lead after the first, second, and third rounds, before an exciting duel on the last day with his countryman Santiago de la Fuente, who won by two strokes.
“I feel that my short game is much better than in Panama and I have a bigger array of shots on the course, which gives me more options to play conservative or aggressive,” said Morales.
Over the last two years, Omar Morales has had numerous opportunities to test and improve his game at the highest level. In addition to the 2024 LAAC, he has competed in the 2023 and 2024 U.S. Opens (Los Angeles Country Club and Pinehurst), the 2023 and 2024 U.S. Amateurs, and three PGA Tour events in Mexico.
“I try to practice a lot, and I am very grateful to have had so many opportunities to play,” said Morales about his competitive journey, which includes a remarkable career with the golf team at UCLA, where he is now a senior.
“When I arrived in college I wanted to get to the highest level as an amateur and I realized it required to play a lot of tournaments. I have had a lot of golf and very little vacation time,” added the 2024 NCAA Division I All-American, with four top-10 finishes already this season.
“I believe Omar is going to go a long way in this game,” said Armen Kirakossian, his coach at UCLA. “He has a very intense, serious and focused attitude. At the same time, he has a really good perspective on life and the game.”
“You cannot be approaching every shot thinking this is for the Masters,” said Morales about the pressure that comes with the fact that the champion of the 2025 Latin America Amateur will receive an invitation to the 2025 Masters and qualify for the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club and the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club.
Omar Morales, one of eight Mexican players in the field, and one of 33 Mexicans golfers in Division I college golf in the United States, will try to follow the steps of de la Fuente and Álvaro Ortiz, the winner of the 2019 Latin America Amateur at Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic, and the only LAAC champion who has made the cut at The Masters.
