Panama City, Panama – Two members of the Indian Hills Men's Golf team, along with an alum, competed on one of the biggest stages in the world over the weekend at the 2024 Latin America Amateur Championship.
Jose Miguel Ramirez (Maturin, Venezuela/Alejandro De Humboldt) and Jose Luis Vargas (Santa Cruz, Bolivia/Henry Prince) represented the Warriors at the Santa Maria Golf & Country Club in Panama City, Panama and were joined by former Warrior Thomas Choi (2021-22). The winner of the event received an automatic invitation to compete in the 2024 Masters Tournament along with exemptions into The 152nd Open at Royal, the 124th U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst No.2, The 2024 Amateur Championship, and the 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship.
This year's field at the Latin American Amateur Championship saw more than 100 golfers compete from 26 nations throughout Latin America.
Ramirez, the defending National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Men's Golf National Champion, made a run towards the top of the leaderboard through the opening rounds, reaching as high as No. 4 in the individual standings. The sophomore finished tied for 18th out of 108 golfers and saw a low-round score of 70 in the third round of the four-round event. Ramirez tallied 15 birdies throughout the tournament, including five each in both the first and third rounds.
"Overall, it was a great tournament," stated Ramirez. "It is always a great experience to play in such a high-level tournament as this one. I feel like this tournament is going to help us to what's coming up in the spring. This is a tournament that you always want to leave 100 percent of you on the course, and I'm happy that I could play this tournament for the third time in my golf career. Even though I was expecting a better week, I will take the good things out of it and learn from the bad ones."
Ramirez has now competed at the Latin American Amateur Championship in each of the last three year's. The 2024 event marked Ramirez's best finish at the tournament.
Vargas competed through the opening two rounds of the tournament and was one of just seven individuals from Bolivia to compete in the prestigious event.
"I felt confident with my game and I loved being in the Latin America Championship," stated Vargas. "It is an unforgettable tournament and I enjoyed the unique experience of playing with very good players. It is a tournament that gives you the opportunity to compete for the Masters, the Open and the British Open. It can change your life, and for me, the tournament helped me a lot to lift my spirits and continue training to improve and improve and compete in various tournaments."
2024 also marked Vargas' third time competing at the Latin American Amateur Championship.
Along with Ramirez and Vargas, former Warriors Thomas Choi of Brazil, now a member of the Wagner University (NY) Men's Golf team, also competed in the opening two rounds of the event.
The Warriors, currently ranked No. 2 in the nation following the team's seventh all-time national championship last year, return to action March 11-12 at the Lindenwood Invitational in St. Charles, MO.
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(Photo Credit: Latin American Amateur Championship)