SANTIAGO, Chile – The Founding Partners of the Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) today announced new dates for the fourth LAAC at Prince of Wales Country Club in Santiago, Chile, which will now be held January 20-23, 2018.

The change came after the Vatican released plans for a scheduled visit by Pope Francis to Chile on January 15-18. In order to relieve logistical challenges presented by increased travel and traffic in the area during Pope Francis’ visit, the 2018 LAAC was moved two days later. The championship will now conclude on a Tuesday, and organizers look forward to the continued planning of the LAAC’s fourth edition that will once again bring together the most talented amateur golfers in the region to compete for life-changing opportunities.

Founded by the Masters Tournament, The R&A and the USGA, the LAAC was established to further develop amateur golf in South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. The LAAC is a 72-hole stroke play event open to a field of 108 amateur players in Latin America, chosen by their respective national federations according to their World Amateur Golf Ranking, as of August 23, 2017. Past winners of the championship, as well as last year’s top-five finishers, are automatically entered into this year’s championship.

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

The 2018 championship will mark the second LAAC conducted in South America and the first in Chile. Prince of Wales Country Club has hosted many national and international championships, including the 1998 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship and the Chile Classic on the Web.com Tour from 2012-2014.

For more information about the LAAC, including qualifications, latest news and spectator information, please visit LAACgolf.com.