Noticias varias

Matías Domínguez al Chile Classic

9 de Marzo, 2015

Publicación en Estados Unidos de participación de Matías Domínguez en el Chile Classic.

LATIN AMERICA AMATEUR CHAMPION MATIAS DOMINGUEZ SET TO PLAY CHILE CLASSIC PRIOR TO MASTERS APPEARANCE

(PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.) – Matias Dominguez, winner of the inaugural Latin America Amateur Championship, has a busy few weeks ahead of him. The 22-year-old Texas Tech University senior will play on a sponsor exemption as an amateur in the Web.com Tour’s Chile Classic next week (March 19-22) in his hometown of Santiago, Chile. Two weeks later (April 9-12), he will be in Augusta, Georgia, to compete in the Masters Tournament, a reward for winning the Latin America Amateur Championship in January.

“I was definitely excited to get the Chile Classic invitation,” Dominguez said. “It’s in my home country, which is really exciting. I’m sure it’s going to be a great experience and it’s going to be fun to be back home after winning the Latin America Amateur Championship. It’s been a crazy environment (in Chile) from what I’ve heard. And the Chile Classic will be my first official pro event. I’m excited to be playing with really good pro players in my hometown.

“The Web.com Tour has been wonderful for Chile,” he added. “It opens the door for people from outside the country to visit and see Chile. People who come to the Chile Classic have seen what a great country it is and what a beautiful place it is. I think it has also opened the door for people to invest and help our country grow.”

The Web.com Tour’s Chile Classic has quickly grown into one of Chile’s most popular and important sporting events after just three playings. Last year’s tournament was won by Adam Hadwin at Prince of Wales Country Club when the Canadian recorded four birdies in his final six holes to defeat Alistair Presnell of Australia by one. The Classic moves to a new venue in Santiago this year, Club de Golf Mapocho.

The stop in Santiago will be the Web.com Tour’s fifth tournament of 2015 and follow successive weeks in Cartagena, Colombia and São Paulo, Brazil.

Dominguez won the Latin America Amateur Championship at Pilar Golf Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He defeated Alejandro Tosti of Argentina by one shot, recording an 11-under-par total of 277 on the 7,255-yard layout. The champion led Tosti by one shot entering the final round.

Dominguez will be the second player from Chile to play in the Masters, joining Enrique Orellana, who missed the cut in 1964.

“We are pleased to see the continued participation of Chilean golfers in this prestigious event and welcome Matias Dominguez with the opportunity to compete in his hometown of Santiago,” said tournament director Alejandro Peric of Podium Sports. “The continued overall growth of the game and the further success of Chilean professionals is a key objective of the Chile Classic and we congratulate Matias on his upcoming trip to Augusta National Golf Club. It is a fabulous occasion for Matias and the game of golf in Chile.”

“On behalf of the Web.com Tour I congratulate Matias on his recent accomplishment at the Latin America Amateur and his upcoming trip to the Masters,” said Web.com Tour presidentBill Calfee. “The Chile Classic annually enjoys a tremendous field and Matias will have an excellent opportunity to test his game before representing Chile on an international stage at Augusta.”

In addition to earning an invitation to the Masters, Dominguez received exemptions to play both the British Amateur Championship (conducted by the R&A) at Carnoustie in Scotland and the U.S. Amateur Championship (conducted by the United States Golf Association) at Olympia Fields Country Club outside Chicago. He also earned spots in the final qualifying stages for the 2015 Open Championship and the 2015 U.S. Open Championship.

Next month’s trip to Augusta National Golf Club will not be Dominguez’s first. In January 2014 he and his Texas Tech Red Raider teammates visited the storied club, a trip arranged by some Texas Tech alumni. Dominguez was able to return to Augusta National recently, Feb. 28 and March 1, and played 45 holes.  

The Masters has been won three times by Web.com Tour alumni, Zach Johnson in 2007 and Bubba Watson in 2012 and last year.

The Latin America Amateur Championship made its debut in 2015. It is organized under the auspices of the Masters Tournament, The R&A and the USGA.