The Latin America Amateur Championship has announced a South America return in 2018, reports Nick Menta. The event will head to Prince of Wales Country Club in Santiago, Chile. That South American return would have been a great chance to take the LAAC to the Rio Olympic course, but the troubled state of affairs probably ruled out Gil Hanse's design.
Menta says International Golf Federation officials discussed the course and remain committed to its survival on the same day a key park that hosted several Olympic venues closed. This from the USGA's Mike Davis:
"You know, that golf course is transitioning right now, going from the Rio 2016 organizing committee to the Brazilian Golf Confederation, and so there’s some questions about what is going on right now. But I will tell you that the IGF stands committed to help the legacy of that golf course continue. And I think that one day we would love to see this championship held at a famed venue like that."
After one round, 17-year-old Julian Perico of Peru leads Guatemala's Alejandro Villavicencio by one.