Brazil's Tourinho Up by One at Latin America Amateur


Andre Tourinho of Brazil followed up his opening 2-under 70 with a 66 to take a one-stroke lead in the inaugural Latin America Amateur Championship. The event got underway Thursday at Pilar Golf Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Tourinho carded eight birdies and two bogeys Friday for a 36-hole total of 8-under 136, one stroke ahead of Argentine Joaquin Bonjour - who had nine birdies, a bogey and a quadruple-bogey on the par-3 17th for a 68 - and Chile's Matias Dominguez, who carded a 7-under 65.

"I actually hit the ball better yesterday," said Tourinho, a 24-year-old who graduated from the University of Tulsa in 2012 and has been a member of the Brazilian National Team. "Today, I chipped in twice and putted really well."

The 21-year-old Bonjour was sailing along nicely until coming to the 17th, a one-shotter with an island green. His tee ball struck a slope right of the green and rolled into the hazard and, after taking a drop, he hit it again into the water.

"I just made a wrong judgment," lamented Bonjour. "I executed the shot I was looking for, but it went about a meter more to the right than it should have gone. If I focus only on the bad hole I had, I eliminate myself from the competition."

The first ace in the brief history of the tournament came Friday afternoon when Colombian Nicolas Echavarria hit a 58-degree wedge on the eighth hole shortened for the second round to 93 yards. His tee shot landed just past the hole and spun back into the cup. Echavarria carded a 71.

The 36-hole cut was set at 8-over 152, with 62 players qualifying for the weekend. The first-ever LAAC began with 109 players from 28 countries throughout Latin America.

Founded by the Masters Tournament, the R&A and the USGA, the LAAC was established to develop amateur golf throughout South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean.

The champion receives an invitation to compete in the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. In addition, the winner and the runner(s)-up will be exempt into the final stages of qualifying for the British Open and U.S. Open, with the winner receiving full exemptions into the British Amateur, U.S. Amateur and any other USGA amateur championship for which he is eligible.

For more information and scoring details, visit www.LAACgolf.com. The above report is courtesy of the USGA. For more information, visit www.usga.org.