The R&A and the USGA have officially announced that the 11th Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) will be contested at the historic Lima Golf Club in Peru from January 15th - 18th, 2026.
Founded in 2014 by the Masters Tournament, The R&A, and the USGA, the championship serves as a premier development platform for amateur talent across South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. For the 2026 field, the stakes remain incredibly high: the champion will receive a life-changing invitation to compete in The Masters Tournament, alongside exemptions into The Open and the U.S. Open.
Representing Bermuda in this elite field are Eric West and Oliver Betschart.
For Eric West, this marks his debut appearance in the Latin America Amateur Championship. West arrives in Peru following a strong 2025 campaign where he finished as the runner-up in the Bermuda Amateur Stroke Play Championships. A former professional on the Tour de las Americas, West regained his amateur status and has since become a regular fixture at the top of local leaderboards, including competing in the PGA Tour’s Bermuda Championship in 2024.
Teenage sensation Oliver Betschart returns for his second consecutive LAAC appearance. The 17-year-old made his debut at the 2025 championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he showed flashes of brilliance despite missing the cut. Betschart carded an opening-round 74 last year—highlighted by an eagle—before eventually finishing in a tie for 66th place. He recently gained valuable international experience representing Bermuda at the Junior Pan American Games in Paraguay, where he secured a 14th-place finish.
Lima Golf Club, which celebrated its centennial in 2024, will provide a strategic parkland test for the region's best amateurs. The course will play as a par-70, 6,804-yard layout characterized by tight, tree-lined fairways and lake hazards.
The tournament has historically been a launchpad for future stars, with past competitors like Joaquín Niemann using the platform to transition to the professional elite. For West and Betschart, the 72-hole stroke-play event represents not only a chance at major championship glory but a vital step on the international amateur stage.
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