A marathon of a final day at the 2025 Latin America Amateur Championship saw Justin Hastings pull away to win the title. Finishing the tournament at 16 under, Hastings finished one stroke clear of Peru’s Patrick Sparks to become the second player from the Cayman Islands to claim the championship.
The final 36 holes were contested on Saturday due to inclement weather in the forecast.
“It’s still crazy to think about. I don’t think it’s totally kicked in,” Hastings said following his win. “I definitely learned a lot today, and I learned that I still have things to work on in those moments. But at the same time, I’m proud to see how far my mental game has come in the last few years.”
Hastings follows in the footsteps of his fellow Caymanian Aaron Jarvis, who won the championship in 2022. With the victory, the San Diego State University senior has earned invitations into the 2025 Masters, the U.S. Open at Oakmont and The Open at Royal Portrush. When he tees it up at Oakmont, Hastings will become the first player from the Cayman Islands to play in the U.S. Open.
“To have two champions from the Cayman Islands — we have 27 holes down there, limited, super competitive golf,” Hastings said. “So, 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. To be able to follow in his footsteps a few years later and get it done is super amazing.”
Hastings left his best for Saturday, particularly in the early hours as the 21-year-old carded a championship-record nine birdies in his third round en route to a 7-under 64. Commanding the solo lead, Hastings had to wait to get his final 18 holes at Pilar Golf Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina underway due to a one-hour weather delay.
Hastings had the trophy in his view as he played the first 12 holes of his final round in 2 under and built his advantage to three strokes. With six holes to play, however, Hastings hit some turbulence as his tee shot on the par-5 13th found the out of bounds and led to a bogey. At the same time, Sparks signed for a birdie and cut the advantage to just one.
The lead stayed there with two holes to play where Sparks slipped up on the par-3 17th when he missed a short par putt to remain within reach. Up two with one hole to go, Hastings firmly had the trophy in one hand and trips to three of the major championships in the other.
“I grew up a huge Masters nut. Every Thursday when the Masters was on, I’d be sick from school to watch the first day,” Hastings said. “Just to be sitting here in this position and think that I’m going to be in that field is something I don’t think has quite hit me. But man, am I excited for it.”
Read the full article here
