Jack Nicklaus’ career-long goal has been to introduce and grow the game around the world, doing so first as a player and then as a renowned golf course designer. The Golden Bear’s thumbprint on design and global golf development will be felt when the PGA TOUR announces today its 2012 Latinoamérica schedule, which will include stops at three Nicklaus Design courses, beginning with his most recent work in Mexico—El Jaguar course at Yucatan Country Club in Merida.
The other Nicklaus Design courses that will highlight the schedule are Jack Nicklaus-designed Nordelta in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Cana Bay, a Nicklaus Design layout in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
The PGA TOUR’s Latinoamérica schedule will consist of 11 events contested in seven countries throughout Latin America and run from September through December with access to the Nationwide Tour provided to the top players.
The inaugural season will debut in Mexico with two new events, the Mundo Maya Open and the Monterrey Open. The Mundo Maya Open kicks off the season on September 3rd in Merida, Mexico, at the Yucatan CC and on the El Jaguar course, an award-winning Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course that opened in 2008 and was named “Top New Private Course in Mexico” by BEST’s Golf Guides to Mexico. The magazine has named Nicklaus the Top Golf Course Architect in Mexico every year the survey has been in existence.
Monterrey, Mexico, will host the Monterrey Open at La Herradura GC. Established in 1945, the Colombian Open in Bogota’s Club El Rincón de Cajicá rounds out the opening swing of the season.
The following two events will be played in October, starting with the 58th playing of the Brazil Open in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Immediately after, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica heads south to Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, and the Roberto De Vicenzo Invitational. Hosted by the San Eliseo Golf & CC, the tournament honoring arguably the greatest player in Latin American golf history, will be the first of three events to be contested in Argentina during the inaugural season of PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.
November brings the tour to an event celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Peru Open at Los Inkas GC in Lima, Peru. Next the players head north to the Caribbean for events on the islands of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, with the Dominican Republic Open on the Nicklaus Design layout at Cana Bay Golf Club (opened in 2010), and the Puerto Rico Classic at the newly renovated East Course at Dorado Beach Resort.
The final stretch of PGA TOUR Latinoamérica’s maiden season begins in Cali, Colombia, for the Colombian Coffee Classic at Club Campestre de Cali. Players vying for the top spots on the Order of Merit will have two events remaining in Buenos Aires. Rounding out the 2012 season are the Olivos Golf Classic-Copa Personal and the Argentine Open. The Olivos Golf Classic-Copa Personal will be played at Olivos Golf Club and is followed by the Argentine Open, set to celebrate its 107th playing at Nordelta Golf Club, another Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course that opened in 2007.
“We are delighted to announce the 2012 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica season schedule,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. “This schedule will provide a good test for players seeking a pathway to the next level of PGA TOUR golf, the Nationwide Tour. This is an important step for the PGA TOUR and for professional golf with South America hosting its first ever Olympic Games, which includes golf’s return to the competition for the first time in more than 100 years. ”
PGA TOUR Latinoamérica also announced the launch of a bi-lingual informational website, www.pgatourla.com. The site, available in both English and Spanish, contains a list of the players qualified to compete on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, the schedule and qualifying tournament information. A more robust site with player bios, tournament host venue and history information with additional editorial coverage is set to launch in early June at the conclusion of the 2012 Tour de las Americas season.
“The 2012 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica schedule is a combination of long-running established events as well as a handful of new events, which is a testament to the collaborative effort of the National Federations, Tour de las Americas, promoters and clubs in the region” said Jack Warfield, President, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica. “We feel this schedule will be a strong test for the players who will be looking to move up to the next level of PGA TOUR golf, the Nationwide Tour.”
A total of 43 players from eight nations have already qualified to play the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica inaugural season. Ten more players will earn spots at the conclusion of the Tour de las Americas’ 2012 season on June 3, while other players will have their chance to qualify through Qualifying events held in Argentina in June and Miami in July.
The 2012 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica schedule will be contested over four months while the 2013 schedule is expected to divide the schedule into two distinct swings, the first with events played from March through May, followed by the remainder of events in the October through December timeframe.
