In January, at Santa María Golf Club in Panama, Santiago de la Fuente overcame a three-stroke deficit in the final round to secure his victory in the Latin America Amateur Championship. His six-under-par 64 edged out compatriot Omar Morales and earned him an invitation to the 88th Masters Tournament.
The University of Houston senior placed second in the 2022 Latin America Amateur Championship and used his near miss as motivation.
“I think that in 2022 it was very painful, not just for me, but for everyone around me. Probably hurt more than anything that I’ve ever experienced,” said de la Fuente during his pre-Tournament press conference. “But then it was a good motivation to just keep working hard and just do my own thing because I knew I was going to have more opportunities like that. When I won, I was obviously very happy but more proud of the work that I did.”
De la Fuente enjoyed playing with two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal early in the week and with 2018 Latin America Amateur champion Joaquin Niemann in the Wednesday Par 3 Contest.
“Jose Maria was very kind in letting me play with him. I learned a lot from him. He gave me a few tips, more around the greens than on the greens,” said de la Fuente. “But it’s just special to play with a past champ and getting that information from past years. So, I’m very grateful to have that opportunity.”
While de la Fuente ultimately missed the cut, he did enjoy several highlights, including an eagle at the par-5 eighth hole during the first round.
“Well, it means everything to me,” de la Fuente said when asked about winning the Latin America Amateur Championship after his second round. “I think for all of us that play in Latin America, winning that event means everything because you get to play in such a great event like this, and then you get the U.S. Open and the British Open. It’s a great experience. It’s just making me better and preparing me for professional golf."
