New Latin American amateur winner to play in Masters

A berth in the Masters will be at stake in the new Latin American Amateur Golf Championship that begins in 2015, officials from the sport's top governing bodies announced Wednesday. The inaugural event will be staged at Pilar Golf in Buenos Aires on January 15-18, 2015, with the top 120 male amateurs from Latin America invited to compete in a move aimed at boosting golf's profile in the region. The Masters, Royal and Ancient and US Golf Association (USGA) combined forces to create the event, patterned after the Asia-Pacific Amateur Golf Championship launched in 2009. "We believe this event will be motivating to current and future generations of golfers and, one day, create heroes that will inspire others to give the game a try," said Augusta National Golf club chairman Billy Payne. The winner of the Latin American event will receive exemptions into the British and US Amateur championships and into the final qualifying round for the US and British Opens. Source: AFP