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The young contingent at the Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) is getting progressively stronger. At this year’s edition at Pilar Golf Club outside of Buenos Aires, there are only eight rookies among the 17 juniors in the field. The other nine players under 19-years-old have combined for 12 LAAC appearances.
“I am very happy with everything I have done after that first LAAC. I have very nice memories of my first one, I remember I made a 12-foot putt to make the cut in Casa de Campo,” said 18-year-old Paraguayan Eric Fortlage, who debuted with a T-15 finish in 2022 in the Dominican Republic.
Fortlage, one of the favorites to win the 10th edition at Pilar, owns both the best finish and the lowest score by a junior at the Latin America Amateur, with a T-12 in 2023 in Puerto Rico and a second-round 68 the same year.
“The first U.S. Junior Amateur I played was in 2022 at Bandon Dunes. I remember I shot six-under and was leading the tournament after the first day,” said Fortlage about his first USGA competition, where he also managed to advance to match play.
The young Paraguayan has played three U.S. Junior Amateur Championships (2022, 2023, and 2024) and one U.S. Amateur (2024). In fact, the presence of young Latin American talent in USGA and R&A amateur events has grown over the last few years as well: seven of the juniors in the 2025 field have played in 12 editions of the U.S. Junior Amateur, and 10 have competed in 12 editions of the R&A Junior Open.
“It was my second time playing the Junior Open, and it was a great experience,” remembered 16-year-old Bermudian Oliver Betschart about the 2024 edition at Kilmarnock (Barassie), Scotland, where he finished T-15, after a T-59 in the 2022 Junior Open.
“Finishing T-15 was not bad, it could have been much better if it was not for my struggles with the driver,” added Betschart, who owns the best finish at a Junior Open among the juniors in the field and is among the group of rookies competing in this week’s Championship.
Pierre Campa from Haiti is also making his debut this week at the Latin America Amateur. At 16 years old, he has already played twice in Scotland at the 2022 and 2024 R&A Junior Opens. “The friends I met there two years ago are still my friends now, and same thing this year. The links were a little different and the wind was absolutely insane,” said Campa about his experience at the Junior Open.
One of the two late additions to the field, 16-year-old Colombian Tomas Restrepo Jaramillo, also cherishes the memories from his recent U.S. Junior Amateur appearance at Oakland Hills Country Club, in Bloomfield, Michigan. “I played at Oakland Hills and did not make the cut by two strokes. One goal for this year is to play again and make it to match play,” said Restrepo.
“I have been looking forward to the Latin America Amateur since Mateo Fernández de Oliveira won in 2023,” added Restrepo.
For the youngest player in the field, 15-year-old Ecuadorian Santiago Villegas, the focus “was always on the Latin America Amateur. I have dedicated all my vacation time to golf, and I have been practicing four hours every day and more on the weekends,” said rookie Villegas.
