Toto Gana will be headed to the Masters come April
(LAAC Photo)
PANAMA CITY, Panama (January 15, 2017) --
Memorable is the only word to describe what
transpired
on Sunday in the final round of the third Latin
America
Amateur. Toto Gana of Chile led by one shot heading
for
the 72nd hole and he had a 10-foot par putt for the
win
but when the putt lipped out and his playing
partners --Joaquín Niemann and Alvaro Ortiz--
parred
the three were level at 1-under and headed for extra
holes.
The trio all parred the first playoff hole, the par-4
18th
with Ortiz having the best chance at a birdie, only to
have his putt just slide by.
Play now shifted to the 386 yard par-4 10th hole and
it
was Gana
who rose to the occasion.
“My opponents had hit – one to the left and one to
the
right,” said Gana, whose name means “win” in
Spanish.
“I thought to myself, I have the advantage now.”
But could he execute? The answer was a resounding
yes, with just 99-yards left after his tee shot Gana
knocked his 52-degree
wedge to two-feet setting up the putt that would
ultimately punch his ticket to Augusta National and
the
Masters this April.
“I hit the best shot I’ve hit in my whole life, at the
best
time,” said Gana. “I’ve never felt this feeling in my
body
before.”
Gana, who begins his career at at Division II Lynn
University in two weeks, started the
day in a share of first place with Ortiz
and he played steady for much of the day as he
carded
two birdies and three bogeys. His birdies came on
the
4th and 15th holes. Maybe his most important birdie
of
the round was his first, as it helped him bounce back
from a bogey on No. 2.
Arkansas junior Alvaro Ortiz, from Mexico, had to
fight
his way back into the
picture late after he double-bogeyed No. 10 and at
the
time fell to even-par. Looking to bounce back Ortiz,
the
younger brother of PGA Tour player Carlos Ortiz,
birded No. 12 and then following a bogey on the
14th
he birdied the 17th hole.
“On No. 10, I made a double bogey from the middle
of
the fairway,” said Ortiz, who finished tied for third in
the
first LAAC in 2015 at Pilar Golf in Buenos Aires,
Argentina. “And on No. 15 [a drivable, 280-yard par
4],
I hit a perfect 3-wood to the middle of the green and
I
three-putted [for par]. That was the one that I really
thought was going to cost me. But I’m just happy
that I
gave myself a chance to win again."
After finishing tied for third last year, World No. 5
Joaquín Niemann once more had a chance to claim
what
is proving to be an allusive title. Starting the day one
back the USF signee played an even-par final round
that
included a double-bogey, bogey stretch on Nos. 8
and
9. The native of Chile rebounded throughout his day
with birdies on the 3rd, 5th, 10th and 17th holes.
First round leader, 17-year-old Julian Périco of Peru
and
48-year-old Alvaro E. Ortiz of Costa Rica shared
fourth
with an even-par tally. Ortiz had been the leader
after
the second round and he was the oldest player to
make
the cut. Périco, the youngest player in the field,
certainly turned some heads this week, especially
with
his opening day 6-under 64.
Besides earning an exemption into the Masters, Gana
is
also exempt into this years British Amateur, U.S.
Amateur and also the final stages of U.S. Open and
British Open qualifying.
Runner-ups Ortiz and Niemann have earned
exemptions
into the final stages of U.S. and British Open
qualifying
as a result of their finishes.
Defending champion Paul Chaplet ended up 8-over
and
in a tie for 16th while inaugural winner Matias
Dominguez was tied for 14th at 7-over.
Editors Note: The LAAC contributed to this
story
ABOUT THE
Latin America Amateur
Founded by the Masters Tournament, The R&A and
the USGA, the LAAC was established to further
develop amateur golf in South America, Central
America, Mexico and the Caribbean. The LAAC is a
72-hole stroke play event open to a field of 108
amateur players in Latin America, chosen by their
respective national federations according to their
World Amateur Golf Ranking. Past winners of the
championship, as well as last year’s top-five
finishers, are automatically entered into this year’s
championship.
The LAAC champion annually receives an invitation
to compete in the Masters at Augusta National Golf
Club, the U.S. Open and the British Open. The
champion is also awarded full exemptions into The
Amateur
Championship, the US Amateur Championship and
any other USGA amateur championship for which he
is eligible.
View Complete Tournament Information