The countdown for the start of the Latin America Amateur Championship has started, featuring the best amateur players from 28 countries in Central America, South America, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Tuesday at Pilar Golf Club, in Buenos Aires, Argentina the practice round was cancelled due to thunderstorms in the area.

Regardless, the players arrived at the club in the afternoon and were able to use the practice facilities. On Wednesday the players could practice the course.

The LAAC 2015 is conducted by the three most important golf organizations in the world:

The Masters Tournament, the R&A and the United States Golf Association. This championship will provide a unique opportunity to the 109 players that will be in Argentina, since the winner will play the 2015 Masters, the U.S. Amateur and the Amateur Championship. Likewise, the champion and the runner-up will be exempt to play the final qualifying of the 2015 Open Championship and the 2015 U.S. Open.

“Entering this tournament is a dream. I have played in several championships in many countries around the world, but nothing compares to this. It has a level of organization and detail that makes it different from the rest of the amateur events. I think that the Argentine players have a certain advantage because we know this course perfectly well. The high performance center of the Argentine Golf Association is located at Pilar Golf Club so we have practiced this course very much,” said Matías Simaski, a player from Argentina ranked No. 368 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

Meanwhile, José Méndez, the best player from Costa Rica and No. 50 in the WorldAmateur Golf Ranking, pointed out that the LAAC will open many doors. “It´s an honor for me to come here and play this tournament. The chance it gives us to play against some of the many talented American players at the U.S. Amateur is very important because we don’t have too many opportunities to reach those events.

My goal is to be one of the best 10 amateur players in the world. I have been preparing myself the last three years to achieve that.”

On the other hand, Mexican Álvaro Ortíz, the younger brother of PGA Tour player Carlos Ortíz, expressed his excitement to play the Latin America Amateur Championship. “We are very excited with this tournament, especially with the exemption into the Masters Tournament and the possibility to play the Open Championship and the U.S. Open. I have prepared myself so as to take advantage of this great opportunity, which is like living a dream. It would be incredible if I were to win it and to play the Masters before my brother, but it would be even better if I could play The Masters with him.”

Countries and Players: http://www.laacgolf.com/about/entries/

TeeTimes: http://www.laacgolf.com/groupings/