Tag: Santiago de la Fuente

These 10 amateurs have made 12 cuts so far on the PGA Tour in 2024

If these amateurs could’ve collected prize money, their 2024 winnings would have totaled $2,278,505.

The amateurs are shining bright in 2024.

So far this PGA Tour season, a total of 10 amateurs have made the cut 12 times, with two of these hotshot upstarts – Neal Shipley and Luke Clanton – turning the trick at two different events.

Shipley has one up on Clanton in 2024 by making the cut at two majors: the Masters and the U.S. Open.

Nick Dunlap, of course, one-upped all the ams in 2024 as he’s the one with a victory, at the American Express back in January. He’s on the very short list of just eight golfers to win a PGA Tour event as an amateur. His win in the Southern California desert seemed to foretell things to come.

The Rocket Mortgage Classic had two amateurs make the cut. The U.S. Open, annually the sternest test in golf, saw three ams make the weekend, the most of any of the 29 tournaments so far in 2024.

Would-be winnings

Ams don’t get paid if they make the cut but if these guys did pocket the money from the finishing positions they posted, they would have taken home a total of $2,278,505.

Dunlap’s payday at the AmEx would’ve been worth $1.512 million. There were two other would-be six-figure paychecks as well.

Amateurs to make the cut on PGA Tour in 2024

Tournament Golfer Would-be earnings
The American Express 1. Nick Dunlap (a) $1,512,000
Mexico Open at Vidanta T46. Santiago de la Fuente (a) $25,515
Puerto Rico Open T10. Jackson Van Paris (a) $93,000
Masters T53. Neal Shipley (a) $46,800
CJ Cup Byron Nelson 65. Kris Kim (a) $20,425
Myrtle Beach Classic T26. Blades Brown (a) $29,800
Memorial 52. Jackson Koivun (a) $50,000
U.S. Open T26. Neal Shipley (a) $153,281
U.S. Open T41. Luke Clanton (a) $72,305
U.S. Open T70. Gunnar Broin (a) $39,982
Rocket Mortgage Classic T10. Luke Clanton (a) $206,233
Rocket Mortgage Classic T44. Ben James (a) $29,164

 

History in the making, international leaderboard highlight 2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta second round takeaways

A pair of Mexican players are excelling at their national open.

The last player from Mexico to win the Mexico Open? Alvaro Ortiz.

Where does Ortiz sit after the second round of the 2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta? Tied for first.

Ortiz, who won the Mexico Open in 2021 when it was a PGA Tour Latinoamerica event, shot 7-under 64, a career best, on Friday to move into a share of first at Vidanta Vallarta alongside Englishman Matt Wallace, Finland’s Sami Valimaki and American Jake Knapp. Ortiz is a member of the Korn Ferry Tour and is making his 10th PGA Tour start this week. It’s his fourth made cut, however, the 28-year-old who played collegiately at Arkansas would have a historic and breakthrough win if he were to claim the Mexico Open title for the second time in four years.

The tournament is the national open of Mexico, but it’s only the third year it has been a PGA Tour event. Like when Nick Taylor won the Canadian Open last summer, it just means more when a national is able to capture their home open. The same can be said for Ortiz if he were to capitalize this weekend. He would become only the second Mexican ever to win his national open twice, joining Ernesto Perez Acosta.

Mexico Open: Photos

“From tee to green it was as good as it could be,” Ortiz said. “I hit the ball very well and just felt very comfortable out there. It was very clean, very stress free and I was glad to be able to make that eagle on 6. I feel like I was losing a little bit of momentum leaving a couple putts go, but it was good to get that one back. Happy to be in the position you I’m in.”

Ortiz birdied every other hole on his first nine, the back nine at Vidanta Vallarta, going out in 5-under 31. Then on the back nine, he had a clean card with eight pars and an eagle coming on the par-5 sixth hole to sign for his 64.

As far as any added pressure this weekend?

“No, it’s more fun, it’s more fun,” he said. “I don’t get to do that often. As many people, the yelling, it’s fun. I don’t get that much in the States, but it’s pretty cool to see how many people are coming and hopefully it will be packed this weekend.”

Santiago De La Fuente of Mexico putts on the second green during the second round of the Mexico Open at Vidanta at Vidanta Vallarta on February 23, 2024 in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

He’s not the only Mexican having a strong week, either. Amateur Santiago De la Fuente, who won the Latin America Amateur Championship in January, sits at 6 under and T-9 heading to the weekend.

The duo has plenty of similarities. They’ve both won the LAAC, with Ortiz placing in the top five four times in five appearances at the event. Ortiz and his brother, Carlos of the LIV Golf League, are the last two Mexican players to tee it up in the Masters (Ortiz in 2019, Carlos in 2021) since Victor Regalado in 1979. De la Fuente will add his name to the list this April.

Here are four more things to know from the second round of the 2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta:

Santiago de la Fuente punches Masters, British Open tickets with 2024 Latin America Amateur win

De la Fuente is a senior at the University of Houston.

A pair of major championship tickets have been punched in Panama.

Mexico’s Santiago De la Fuente shot a 6-under 64 in the final round, the low round of the day, to win the 2024 Latin America Amateur Championship at Santa Maria Golf Club in Panama City by two shots over his fellow countryman Omar Morales (69). With the victory, de la Fuente has earned a spot in both the 2024 Masters at Augusta National and 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.

In addition to the Masters and Open, de la Fuente has also earned invitations to this summer’s Amateur Championship and the U.S. Amateur. He and Morales are also exempt to the final stage of qualifying for the U.S. Open. De la Fuente finished T-2 one shot behind champion Aaron Jarvis in 2022.

De la Fuente is a senior at the University of Houston and finished T-2 at the Argent Financial Classic earlier this fall. Morales is a junior at UCLA and finished T-1 in October at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate and finished runner-up two weeks later at the Cal Poly Invitational.

Past winners

2024 — Santiago de la Fuente

2023 — Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira

2022 — Aaron Jarvis

2021 — Canceled

2020 — Abel Gallegos

2019 — Alvaro Ortiz

2018 — Joaquín Niemann

2017 — Toto Gana

2016 — Paul Chaplet

2015 — Matias Domínguez