[Mike_Young]

For many of you that have worked in Latin America you understand the wheeling and dealing that goes on with everything you do.  It seems this Latin America Amateur Championship is no different.  This is supposed to be a big deal.  Billy Payne, Mike Davis, R&A all represented since the winner will go to Masters etc.    Being familiar with the Central America region I know that many of the professional champions of those countries could not win our club championship.   What is interesting today is to see where some of the professionals were playing for money a few months ago and today are in the Latin America Am Championship....some things will never change....just make a call to your local governing body and get that am status in a few hours if the country needs you...

[ward peyronnin]

Mike

In the Sr Am 2006 at Victoria the medalist from the Alaska qualifier sported a bucket hat, madras shorts; wingtip footjoys and I believe carded somewhere in the 120 range for his first bracketing round.

Im just saying you don't need a passport for Alaska

[Jason Topp]

The guy from the University of Minnesota golf team, Jose Mendez, is a heck of a player.  I will be interested to see how he does. 

[John Keenan]

Mike

Just growing the game     

John

[Mike_Young]

John,
All in favor of growing the game....but it's sort of like the Jamaican Bobsled team....there are a few very good players but so many countries just don't have it....not their fault but it's the reason golf will not remain in the Olympics....

[Jon Wiggett]

John,
All in favor of growing the game....but it's sort of like the Jamaican Bobsled team....there are a few very good players but so many countries just don't have it....not their fault but it's the reason golf will not remain in the Olympics....

Mike,

I kind of disagree with golf and the Olympics. Which of the major IOC countries does not have some interest in golf. I suspect far more do than don't.

Jon

[Mike_Young]

John,
All in favor of growing the game....but it's sort of like the Jamaican Bobsled team....there are a few very good players but so many countries just don't have it....not their fault but it's the reason golf will not remain in the Olympics....

Mike,

I kind of disagree with golf and the Olympics. Which of the major IOC countries does not have some interest in golf. I suspect far more do than don't.

Jon

Jon,
I'm sure plenty have an interest but their entry into the Olympics would not win a club championship in the US....JMO...and thus no interest in watching it unfold...

[Mike Hendren]

Come on Mike. Btw I go off at 2:00 pm

[Mike_Young]

Come on Mike. Btw I go off at 2:00 pm

Don't laugh.....in some of those third world countries with no middle class, the golfers they will send to such events are used to choosing their score...I realize there are some very good golfers in Brazil, Argentina and some fo the other places but then there is....................

[Randy Thompson]

John,
All in favor of growing the game....but it's sort of like the Jamaican Bobsled team....there are a few very good players but so many countries just don't have it....not their fault but it's the reason golf will not remain in the Olympics....

Disagree, golf will stay, no money in wrestling for example but in golf...there is money and more audience then wrestling.

[Mike_Young]

John,
All in favor of growing the game....but it's sort of like the Jamaican Bobsled team....there are a few very good players but so many countries just don't have it....not their fault but it's the reason golf will not remain in the Olympics....

Disagree, golf will stay, no money in wrestling for example but in golf...there is money and more audience then wrestling.

Randy,
But you being down there you know what I'm saying....look at the scores so far...Brazil, Mexico, Argentina etc are fine some but over 15% of the field is 10 over or more and have not finished the round....if golf stays and it could if money is factored in, there will not be huge crowds attending the golf event....JMO

[Carl Nichols]

Mike--
There is a silver lining:  this is your chance to be an Olympic athlete!

[john_stiles]

Mike,

Well, maybe only a few hours in Latin America to become amateur after after competing for a few thousand dollars.

In the USA, even if you won, and won cash for over 10 years, and your country needs you for a Cup, it is a few thousand hours.

John

[Mike_Young]

Mike--
There is a silver lining:  this is your chance to be an Olympic athlete!

I can't speak Spanish....but I'm pretty good with the spanglish...

[Greg Tallman]

Corruption being a part of the Olympics is as old as, well, The Olympic Games. So some country sends someone who cannot break 80. What's the difference in a country sponsoring a 100 meter sprinter who cannot break 11 seconds? You're still going to watch Johnson, Lewis, Bolt and the like.

I don't see the big deal. 

Now if you want to publicly call out Mike Davis & Billy Payne for ignoring what is alleged at the LAAC then, well, OK. 

[Randy Thompson]

John,
All in favor of growing the game....but it's sort of like the Jamaican Bobsled team....there are a few very good players but so many countries just don't have it....not their fault but it's the reason golf will not remain in the Olympics....

Disagree, golf will stay, no money in wrestling for example but in golf...there is money and more audience then wrestling.

Randy,
But you being down there you know what I'm saying....look at the scores so far...Brazil, Mexico, Argentina etc are fine some but over 15% of the field is 10 over or more and have not finished the round....if golf stays and it could if money is factored in, there will not be huge crowds attending the golf event....JMO

Yes I understand your point. However, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Chile have good players and most of these countries are represented with players in the various tours around the wolrd. Venezuela has the best ameratures imo because most men donīt work there! There needs to be a qualifying to keep the weak out. I am sure some bugs will crop up and they will improve from the first to the second.

[Mike_Young]

Corruption being a part of the Olympics is as old as, well, The Olympic Games. So some country sends someone who cannot break 80. What's the difference in a country sponsoring a 100 meter sprinter who cannot break 11 seconds? You're still going to watch Johnson, Lewis, Bolt and the like.

I don't see the big deal. 

Now if you want to publicly call out Mike Davis & Billy Payne for ignoring what is alleged at the LAAC then, well, OK. 

 

[Howard Riefs]

Next year's LAAC is at Teeth of the Dog.

http://www.laacgolf.com/casa-de-campo-dominican-republic-selected-as-hosts-for-2016-latin-america-amateur-championship/

[Mike_Young]

The leader after three rounds is ranked around 490th am in the world....and he will play in Masters

[BCowan]

first world problems

[MClutterbuck]

Mike,

Your comments are so wrong. In general, golf in Argentina is played a lot more honestly and respecting the Rules of Golf and Etiquette than in the US. Golf is a wonderful bridge between the US and Europe and Latin America and gives us a common language and ethics. The LAAC is a wonderful initiative and I congratulate Payne et al for doing a lot more than diplomacy lately to bring countries together.

I attended the inauguration and it was a pleasure to see the ANGC members, USGA officials and R&A officials interacting with players. Your ranking comment is irrelevant when you are dealing with players that do not have the means to play tournaments awarding ranking points. So what if some players score badly. There might be fine tuning at the individual federation level in the selection process.

And so what if the Haiti player had to be given a new set of clubs because his were non conforming since they were so old. You are missing the whole point about the LAAC. I applaud the tournament for having at least 2 players from each country.

The Argentine Golf Association is a world class organization and has a rich tradition of organizing great tournaments and sending greT amateur teams to compete successfully worldwide. Argentine pros have in general been great sportsmen and gentlemen, even when coming from really humble homes and without formal education. This is a reflection of the etiquette in Argentine golf. I could say the same for most LA countries.

I would go on and on but have limited Internet access these days. If you have a specific name of a player violating the amateur status, you should send specific proof and name to the tournament officials.

[Mike_Young]

MClutterbuck,
I am very familiar with Latin American golf.  No where did I say Argentine golf was the issue.  Yes, the tourney is a nice gesture but I will not change my mind about the ranking and entry into the Masters.  Payne is commercializing the Masters in anyway he can and that's is his choice as chair.  The LA Championship would have a different meaning if there was a qualifying and European players and Americans could qualify like they do for the US Am or US Open.   Perhaps we should promote American football in Latin America and let the best quarterback play in the Superbowl.    Forgive me but I am so tired with the "grow the game" hype and BS.  As for LA golf associations,  I have seen many of the smaller countries that have associations made up of arrogant upper class punks who act as though they are "golf" in their countries.   They all wear "Doral" shirts and spout rules they know nothing about.  I even had one rate a course higher from the white tees than the blue tees and he tried to explain to me how he was a "professional R&A rules person and rater.   So , don't give me the line about how much more honest and rules adhering they are in LA...I've been watching it for 20 years.... Yes, Argentina and Brazil may be different but so many of the other countries are a long way away.   I am all for solid growth but I will stick by my comments.  This tourney is like a little league team making sure everyone gets a trophy...growing golf in a country starts at the bottom not the top...Cheers...

[MClutterbuck]

What you describe is not the norm in most of South America. Golf is taken very seriously and honorably. Your implication that it is as corrupt as public office is dead wrong. You are implying the typical official wears Doral shirts and knows nothing about golf is dead wrong. I attended the LAAC opening ceremony and had a side discussion with 2 officials. One officiated at the last Open. The other had recently played Merion and Pine Valley. I have friend officials that are members at several of the top tier clubs in the US and the UK. You are generalizing stereotypes you might have encountered, something I do not doubt, but your comments taken as if they were the general state of golf in LatAm are offensive. Let me remind you, you might have not seen a more graceful runner up of a major than Angrl Cabrera.

In time you will see players like Alejandro Tosti, that might or not win today, performing really well at the Masters and go on to similar success than say a Matsuyama. With respect to playing ability, please look at the team and individual leaderboard of the last Eisenhower cup.

[Mark Chaplin]

Mike how do you think the rest if the world sees Basketball as an Olympic sport?

[Tom_Doak]

Mike:

The Latin America Amateur will allow one guy into The Masters.  I hope the one guy is as exciting a player as the kid from China was two years ago.

The Olympics are different.  It's not like each country gets to send two teams ... there are only 60 players overall, no more than two per country.  Going off last summer's list here were the five Latin players who would be included:

Angel Cabrera (Arg) - 25
Felipe Aguilar (Chile) - 40
Emiliano Grillo (Arg) - 41
Camilo Villegas (Colombia) - 50
Jhonattan Vegas (Venez) - 57

I don't know anything about Grillo, but the others are hardly poseurs.  Villegas is probably as good a chance for an Olympic medal as any other Colombian ... wouldn't that be good for golf?

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