Cayman Islands’ Justin Hastings wins Latin America Amateur after marathon day

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Justin Hastings was prepared for a marathon Saturday at the Latin America Amateur Championship.

After all, the 21-year-old San Diego State senior from Cayman Islands has played in six of these championships, never missing a cut, including in his debut as a 14-year-old in 2018, when he became the youngest to not only compete but make the weekend.

Now, he’s in the record books as a champion, too.

With an ominous weather forecast expected on Sunday, tournament officials opted to squeeze the final 36 holes into Saturday. Hastings, who shared the lead with Peru’s Patrick Sparks through two rounds before building a four-shot lead by lunch, held off Sparks for the one-shot victory at Pilar Golf Club in Buenos Aires.

Hastings is the second player from Cayman Islands, a British territory, to win the LAAC, following 2022 champion Aaron Jarvis, who along with his brother, Andrew, rushed the 18th green in near darkness to douse their buddy with water bottles.

“To see him do what he did a few years ago really inspired the whole island and inspired me and taught us that we can compete out here and we can do these great things,” Hastings said of Jarvis.

Cayman Islands is now the fourth country to boast multiple LAAC winners along with Chile (three), Argentina (two) and Mexico (two).

Hastings’ win earned him exemptions into this year’s Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship, U.S. Amateur and British Amateur.

Sparks cut Hastings' lead to two shots with four birdies in his first eight holes, and he pulled within one after a two-shot swing at the par-5 13th. Hastings nearly found the water at the par-4 15th, but he caught a huge – and potentially tournament-saving – break.

“Somehow it hung up in the hazard line, but it was actually a good lie,” Hastings said. “And when that happened, I turned to my dad, my caddie, and said I knew it's meant for us this week."

That's how Hastings won his first college event, too.

Sparks tied Hastings with birdie at the par-4 16th, but another bogey, his third of the back nine, at the par-3 17th proved the difference.

“I learned a lot being with the leaders,” Sparks said. “It’s a different type of pressure knowing three majors are on the line."

Before breaking through, Hastings had improved his LAAC finish each year, including a solo fourth last year. He entered this year’s championship ranked No. 52 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, behind only Mexico’s Omar Morales (12) and Bolivia’s Jose Luis Montano (49).

Argentina’s Segundo Oliva Pinto, who has remained amateur since graduating from Arkansas in 2023, tied for third with countryman Gabriel Palacios and Mexico’s Gerardo Gomez.

Pilar was hosting for the first time since hosting the inaugural championship in 2015.

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Cayman Islands’ Justin Hastings wins Latin America Amateur after marathon day

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