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Miguel Ordoñez knows people think he’s exaggerating when he says there is no better championship in golf
than the Latin America Amateur. Big words, he admits – but utterly sincere.
“You have the three greatest institutions in golf – the USGA, R&A, and the Masters – coming together and treating the players like kings,”
said Ordoñez, one of three golfers who has played in every LAAC since its 2015 debut. “It’s almost like a fairy tale. They want to show kids from Latin America that this is where you can go in golf.”
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That kind of passion is what the championship, open to the top male amateurs from 28 countries and territories, was designed to ignite throughout Latin America. The ninth edition has added significance for Ordoñez. Not only does the LAAC return to his native Panama for the first time since 2017, but it will be played Jan. 18-21 at Santa Maria Golf Club, where he has served as director of membership for the past 12
years.
“It’s world-class from the minute you step on the property,” Ordoñez said of the LAAC. “The vibe in the majors is all about the results. But in this one it’s all about the players, the experience and what the championship is building.” The winner receives an exemption into the U.S. Open, the Open Championship, the U.S. Amateur, and the Amateur Championship, plus an invitation to play in the Masters.
This year’s host venue is part of a private community halfway between Tocumen International Airport and downtown Panama City. Half the site was essentially wetlands that required plenty of fill, according to Troy Vincent of Nicklaus Design, who spearheaded the course design-and-build process. “It was almost like starting from scratch,” he said. “It was probably similar to what Pete (Dye) saw when he first went to (TPC)
Sawgrass.”
The layout’s primary defense comes on and around the greens, which is why Vincent considers Santa Maria to be more of a second-shot course. “You have to know where you can miss it,” he said. “I’ve felt for a long time that we’ve kind of lost the short game in golf. So, you’ll notice heavily contoured greens, and if you miss them, I’m going to shoot you off and you need to chip back up. In a lot of instances, you’re chipping off short grass, not rough.”
Opened in 2012, the course underwent a bunker renovation project in 2022, although beach-style hazards remain at the 5th and 17th holes, both par 3s. “It will be interesting to see how these players (in the LAAC) attack the course,” said Vincent. “In January, you can get some pretty good wind out there. But there is flexibility with multiple tees on each hole.”
After an opening par 4 with a multi-tiered green, the next six holes are on the other side of the Pan-American Highway before the routing crosses back over for the remaining 11 holes. Eight lakes come in play, particularly on the final two holes. Multiple greens feature amphitheater backdrops formed by large residential towers (and on the 9th hole, the Santa Maria Hotel), testing one’s depth perception. The center of the course – holes 9 through 12 – is where players can go on a pivotal run, according to Ordoñez.
“I’ve had guys make four birdies in a row there playing against me,” he said. “Now if things go the wrong way, that same guy could make an 8 on the 9th hole (a par 4 with water on the right and OB on the left). The 10th is just a great risk/reward par 5 where long hitters will try to bomb it right next to a fairway bunker, and then you might have 245 yards left. I think the best players will take driver and attack the par-4 11th. And on 12, they can have some fun because sometimes it can play 306 yards to a back-right hole
location that tempts you to go for it.”
“The core idea of the LAAC is to identify the best possible champion,” said José Ignacio Olea, general manager of Santa Maria Golf Club. “This course suits that idea very well. The champion is not going to be a player who gets lucky. He will not be a bomber who can’t putt very well. He won’t be straight but short. He has to be a well-rounded player.”
Ordoñez has fond memories of playing in the 2017 LAAC at the Club de Golf de Panamá. “It was the greatest experience of my life,” he recalled. “I played awesome (he finished tied for 8th). This year will be even more special. I’m even more invested. I love everything about this place. I’ll be organizing the caddies that week, but I will try to take it all in and stay very focused.”
While Panama may be world-famous for its namesake canal and for producing Hall of Fame baseball players like Rod Carew and Mariano Rivera, plus world champion boxer Roberto Duran, the LAAC will provide a bright spotlight for golf in the country with its four days of television coverage in more than 110 countries. That exposure is sure to benefit the Panamanian Golf Association (APAGOLF), which currently boasts 12 registered golf clubs and 2,384 active members.
“Golf is experiencing a consistent rise in popularity, despite the traditional influence of baseball and boxing in the country,” said Mariana Rengifo, executive director of APAGOLF. “Since the pandemic, a growing interest in the sport has led to a sustained increase in participants.
A particularly noteworthy detail is that over 100 women have returned to golf or started playing in the past year, highlighting the sport’s increase in gender diversity.”
In 2021, Ordoñez became the first Panamanian to compete in the U.S. Mid-Amateur, advancing to the match-play Round of 32, a feat he replicated in 2023 at Sleepy Hollow Country Club near New York City. Last year, Epson Tour veteran Laura Restrepo Sluman became the first golfer from Panama to play in a U.S. Women’s Open. And during the 2023 LAAC at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Puerto Rico, Panamanian Omar Tejeira finished 26th.
“These successes in international competition significantly contribute to strengthening the reputation and reach of Panamanian golf, both locally and globally,” said Rengifo. “The future of golf in Panama looks exciting, with a promising horizon and continuous growth in passion and commitment.”
Tom Mackin is an Arizona-based freelance writer whose work has previously appeared in Golf Journal and on USGA websites.
