Of a total of 102 young golfers under the age of 25, considered the best in Latin America, the silver position (second place) goes to a Mexican, who aspires to continue taking giant steps to become a reality in this sport on the world stage. .
His name is Santiago de la Fuente, is 20 years old and is the best Mexican non-professional golfer of the moment. He finished second in the Latin American Amateur Championship (LAAC) 2022 and that gives him the opportunity to fight for classification in two of the five majors that this sport has throughout the year: The Open (British Open) and the US Open (United States). In addition, this guaranteed him a place in the Vidanta Mexico Opena PGA Tour tournament to be held in Vallarta, Jalisco, from April 28 to May 1, and in which nine other Mexicans will participate, including Abraham Ancer Y carlos ortiz.
“I showed myself the great player that I am. Being honest, many times as athletes we don’t like to believe in our ability, but this tournament showed me how prepared I am, although not yet in my best version because there is still a lot to learn and improve, but I grew a lot this week golfing and above all as person”, says the athlete in an interview with The Economist.
The LAAC was first played in 2015 and is a joint creation between the United States Golf Association (USGA), the Augusta National Club (organizer of The Masters) and The Royal and Ancient Golf Club (The R&A, which organizes all world golf with the exception of Mexico and the United States, in addition to the British Open).
It has been held in seven editions, since the 2021 edition was canceled due to the pandemic, and since then only three Mexicans have appeared on the podium: Santiago De la Fuente in second place in 2022, Aarón Terrazas also in second place in 2020 and Álvaro Ortiz, the most successful after having been second in 2017 and 2018 but winner of 2019.
The first two places (which may be more than two golfers due to ties) receive the right to participate directly in the final rounds for The Open and the US Openwhich are held between June and July and where the biggest stars of this sport participate.
“I am very grateful to the USGA for organizing this type of event that gives us amateurs the opportunity to participate in such important tournaments. The process will be very hard work because without it there is no way to win, it is about improving as much as possible and in many areas”, explains De la Fuente, although the qualifying rounds for the two majors have not yet been revealed.
At 20 years old, De la Fuente is studying a Bachelor of Arts at Arkansas Tech University, where he has almost 100% scholarship thanks to the fact that he was recruited for his good level of golf seen from childhood levels in Mexico, being part of the Atlas Country Club of Guadalajara, Jalisco.
He is one of the more than 140 young Mexicans who are currently receiving scholarships from a university in the United States and although he competes at the collegiate level in that country, he explains that his technique training is 100% carried out in Mexico under the direction of his coach. , Paco Saracho, as well as the advice of his father and soon also of Pepe López, brother of the Mexican Olympic golfer Gaby López, with whom he was working prior to LAAC 2022.
Although he is still starting his career, Santiago De la Fuente is very clear about where he wants to go with golf: “I would like to be number 1 in the world. I think that people who want to be professional, but aim low, are going to fail, so you always have to aim high so that mistakes are fewer and work hard to stay there. If you want to play just to survive it is not ideal, there are many people who want to be an athlete just for the spotlight it gives you, but if you play a sport you have to do it for love and because you like to compete, you have to give 200% in each moment, in studies, at school, in the gym, with friends and family”.
According to the official website of the World Amateur Golf Ranking, De la Fuente is ranked 1,006 (his best historical position was 665), but he is shaping up to improve as he is one of the Mexicans who participates in PGA Tour events as he already did. they have done Víctor Regalado, Esteban Toledo, José de Jesús Rodríguez, Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz and Álvaro Ortiz.
“Based on my results in junior golf, I got the scholarship at Arkansas Tech and I am really grateful. I am seeing great growth in youth golf and in all of Mexican golf in general, in the whole atmosphere, the growth in recent years is enormous, the work that the Mexican Golf Federation (FMG) does with young people and this type of high-quality tournaments help that there are more and more interested in going to play and study in the United States”.
Admirer of Lorena Ochoa, Gaby López, Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz, despite his young age he has been practicing golf for 17 years, alternating with other sports such as soccer and paddle tennis, but always with the focus on the next hole, which now it could be in two majors. He has already completed 12 months of experience in Arkansas and invites more young Mexicans to follow in his footsteps.
“In a year in the United States you learn a lot, at the university you socialize with many people, living alone, you gain a lot of experience and fang when it comes to playing. I also work on the strategy part, where to hit the shots, how to attack and the physical part. I would recommend to more young people that if they have the opportunity to come to the US, they do so, because it is a big step that opens many doors to get to know places, people, and even if you don’t want to dedicate yourself to golf professionally, it helps a lot to have studies”.