The Jamaica Golf Association has confirmed that Zandre Roye and Oshae Haye will represent the nation at the 11th Latin America Amateur Golf Championship (LAAC), scheduled for January 15-18 at the historic Lima Golf Club in Peru.
The championship, widely regarded as the most prestigious amateur tournament in the region, will once again bring together the finest emerging talents from across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Experience anchors Jamaica’s challenge
Both Roye and Haye arrive in Lima with valuable championship experience already behind them. Roye will be making his third appearance, having competed in 2024 and 2025, while Haye returns for his second outing, following his debut in 2024.
That familiarity with the intensity and demands of the LAAC is expected to serve the Jamaican pair well as they navigate one of the deepest amateur fields in international golf.
Early survival, then a push up the board
The immediate objective for both players will be to survive the 36-hole cut after the first two rounds. From there, the focus will shift to climbing the leaderboard over the closing two days of the four-round championship.
Jamaica’s benchmark performance at the LAAC remains 24th place, achieved by Ian Facey in 2015, a result Roye and Haye will aim to surpass as they test themselves against elite regional competition.
A crowded field of regional rivals
This year’s championship features over 100 golfers from 28 countries, including familiar Caribbean rivals from Barbados, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, the Cayman Islands, and Trinidad and Tobago, opponents the Jamaicans have previously encountered at the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championship.
The field also includes traditional powerhouses such as host nation Peru, along with Argentina and Mexico, countries that have consistently produced strong finishes in LAAC history.
A championship with global stakes
Founded in 2014 by the Masters Tournament, The R&A, and the United States Golf Association (USGA), the LAAC was established to accelerate the development of amateur golf across South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
The tournament rotates annually among premier courses throughout the region, offering a global platform for its rising stars.
Beyond regional prestige, the rewards are extraordinary. The champion earns an invitation to the Masters Tournament, along with exemptions into The Open Championship and the U.S. Open, placing one golfer on a direct pathway to the sport’s most iconic stages.
For Roye and Haye, Lima represents not only another international test, but an opportunity to write a new chapter in Jamaica’s golfing story.
