Inaugural Latin America Amateur begins Thursday in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Jan. 13, 2015) — Pilar Golf Club in Argentina will play host to the first annual Latin America Amateur Championship, beginning Thursday and running through Sunday. This 72-hole stroke play event was created by its founding partners the USGA, R&A, and Masters Tournament, and will attract Latin America's top amateur talent. Alejandro Tosti, host Argentina's top-ranked amateur, will be in the field along with other notable Argentinians Andres Gallegos, Matias Simaski, and Santiago Bauni. Tosti, currently ranked 58 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings, took second at the Tailhade Cup and tied for second at the World Amateur Team in 2014. Brazil's top talent Andre Tourinho is in the field, along with Chile's Gustavo Silva, Columbia's Nicolas Echavarria, and Venezuela's Jorge Garcia. The winner will receive a hefty basket of exemptions, including an invitation to be one of seven amateurs to compete in the 2015 Masters Tournament. The winner will also receive exemptions to the 2015 British Amateur and 2015 U.S. Amateur. Thanks to European Tour Productions, the tournament will be broadcast worldwide to 150 countries and will produce a high-definition broadcast, including two hours of live coverage on each of the four competition days. The English-speaking commentary team will include Sean McDonough as host, Andy North as analyst, Dottie Pepper as the on-course reporter and John Sutcliffe handling interviews. You can find coverage on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN News.