Dillas & Leseur Compete In Dominican Republic
Two Bermudians, Jarryd Dillas and Kenny Leseur, are presently competing in the Latin American Amateur Championships in the Dominican Republic from January 20th to 23rd. The 1st round took place today and you can click here to follow the leaderboard.
The Latin America Amateur Championship is an annual amateur golf tournament. It is played at various locations throughout the region. The event and was first played in 2015, and consists of 72 holes of stroke-play, with a cut for the leading 50 players and ties after 36 holes.
As one of the most prestigious amateur golf events in the World, the winner receives an invitation to the Masters Tournament and since 2020 the Open Championship, The Amateur Championship [British], the U.S. Amateur, and any other USGA event for which they are otherwise qualified apart from the U.S. Open. The winner and runner-up gain entry to final stage qualifying for the U.S. Open.
After completing a practice round at the Casa de Campo venue, Jarryd Dillas commented, “This is the 7th edition of the Latin America Amateur Championship [LAAC] and the third time it has been held at Casa de Campo – Teeth of the Dog.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to represent Bermuda at every LAAC since the the event’s inception back in 2015. The tournament was cancelled last year due to Covid, so I know everyone is happy to be back and looking forward to an exciting week ahead. My game is in good shape at the moment, I finished 28th in 2020 so I would love to give myself an opportunity to improve on that this week.”
Also representing the Bermuda Golf Association at at the 2022 LAAC, is high school senior Kenny Leseur Jr.
Leseur completed his second practice round yesterday, and afterwards he said, “I’ve been working hard in the lead up to this event and I am happy with my game going into the tournament.
“It is my first time at this venue, and I noticed a few holes are similar to home, so placement off the tee will be critical to scoring well this week. This event is my first time representing Bermuda internationally at the senior level, after representing Bermuda at junior events I’m excited to be making the next step.”
Bermuda Golf Association President Craig Brown stated, “On behalf of the BGA Executive and our entire membership, I wish to extend congratulations to Jarryd and Kenny on being invited to participate in the 2022 Latin America Amateur Championship. It is truly a great week for the Bermuda Golf Association.
“The LAAC is part of our strategic development plan, and in the case of Kenny, a former Male Junior Athlete of the year, to represent Bermuda at the senior level whilst still in high school is truly exciting. At the other end of the spectrum, the 2022 event will be Jarryd’s seventh LAAC.
“It is a testament to his commitment to the amateur game and playing prowess that he continues to be one of the leading amateurs in Bermuda golf. We look forward to watching them both perform over the course of the week as they compete against the best amateurs in the region.”
