News

The Santa María Golf Club in Panamá City has been selected to host the ninth edition of the Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) next January, one of the biggest events on the regional calendar.

The tournament is a big deal in the golf world and marks the next step in the growth of Panama as a golf destination. In addition to the championship, the winner earns an exemption to the U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and an invitation into The Masters Tournament.

The tournament will also provide international exposure to Santa Maria and all the beauty of the developments that surround the golf course. PPR works with many of the top projects in Santa Maria, which stand to benefit from tournaments like this, including Ocean House, the tower under construction that offers a wide array of top-notch amenities at affordable prices; Oceana, a spectacular project from Ocean Reef developer Grupo Los Pueblos; and La Maison by Fendi Casa.

“It is an honor to host the top men’s Latin American amateurs at our beautiful venue for the 2024 Latin America Amateur Championship,” said José Ignacio Olea, General Manager of Santa María Golf Club. “Santa María Golf Club will provide a quality backdrop to showcase some of the best players in our region.”

Santa María Golf Club was designed by Nicklaus Design and is Santa María Golf Club is managed by Troon, the world’s largest golf and golf-related hospitality management company. 

The par-72, 7,153-yard course opened for play in 2012 and has hosted elite junior events over the past decade, according to a press release from the tournament organizers. The announcement describes Santa Maria as a “parkland-style golf course northeast of downtown Panama City featuring undulating greens” with a number of bunkers and lakes. It was named one of the “Best 50 Courses of the Caribbean and Mexico” by Golfweek magazine.

The LAAC will be January 18-21, 2024. It will be the second time that Panamá has hosted the tournament and its debut at Santa María Golf Club.