Omar Morales of Mexico fired a second straight round of 69 to take the lead at the halfway stage of the Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) at the Santa Maria Golf Club in Panama.
Morales is on two-under-par, one clear of Colombia's Mateo Fuenmayor. As the wind continued to gust, scoring was high once more and only the two players are under par through 36 holes at the end of Friday's play.
Morales is the highest ranked player in the field this week. He competed in last year’s US Open at Los Angeles Country Club and is a member of the University of Los Angeles golf team.
The Mexcian's putting looked a little shaky as he approached the turn in round two and he dropped three shots towards the end of the front nine. But he composed himself well on the run for home, made birdies at the 11th and 12th and parred his way in from there.
Round of the morning came from Colombia’s Mateo Fuenmayor who posted a two-under-par 68 to reach one-under overall at the halfway mark.
“I'm hitting the ball very, very well and in these conditions it's very important to hit the ball well, very solid and make sure the ball starts on line, and I've done a very good job of that,” said the Colombian. “I've missed a couple putts, but at the same time, I've made the putts I've had to make and two‑putted a lot of the long putts, so, I'm very happy with the performance.”
Mexico’s Santiago De la Fuente was one-over on Friday and is level par for the tournament, tied with Andrey Xavier of Brazil.
Overnight co-leader Jose Arzu of Guatemala was one of the early starters on Friday. The 19-year-old battled well on a day when he wasn’t firing on all cylinders, to post a 73 and sit on two-over through 36-holes.
The LAAC champion receives an invitation to compete in the 2024 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club and will automatically qualify for The 152nd Open at Royal Troon and, for the second time, will earn a spot in the US Open - the 124th instalment of which will take place at Pinehurst.
