Nolan and McGinty, winners of the South American Amateur Open 2023
The Irish Liam Nolan and the English Caley McGinty were crowned as the nw champions of the South American Amateur Open, competition that concluded this Sunday in the Quito Tennis & Golf Club in Ecuador.
The championship was organized by the Ecuadorian Golf Federation and the South American Federation, with the support of The R&A and opened the 2023 season in South America. On a vibrant final day, the definition in the male category showed several players fighting for the first place.
The Mexican Jose Cristobal Islas, that started in the lead, slipped at the end with a pair of double bogeys, the most decisive in the 17th hole and which opened the final path for Nolan. The Irish Max Kennedy also was in contention in the final holes, finishing eventually in the second place.
In the end, Nolan signed 68 (-4) this Sunday and 281 total (-7), one ahead of Kennedy. Islas and Chilean Vicente Encina, with 283 (-5) finished in the third place, followed by Argentinean Juan Martín Loureiro and Mexican Luis Carrera, with -3
The female category, in the other hand, left McGinty at the top of the leaderboard, also in a wild finish. The golfer of the Ohio State University had a great 67 (-5) on Saturday, which gave her the lead in the final day. The best player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in the field (25), signed 70 (-2), reaching 283 (-5), topping her compatriot Lottie Woad, second
The Mexican Vania Simont, with 292 (+4), was third, followed by the Chilean Michelle Melandri (73) and the Colombians Cristina Ochoa (75) and Catalina Monroy (75).
With this 17th edition of the South American Amateur Open completed, the attention will focus in the Latin American Amateur Championship in Puerto Rico starting next Thursday and with the confirmed presence of several of those present this week in Ecuador. Meanwhile, the 18th edition of this South American Amateur Open will be held in Colombia, in January 2024.