Santiago De La Fuente from Jalisco was crowned in the Mexican Qualifier presented by National Car Rental and obtained an exemption to compete in the World Wide Technology Championship – the tournament with the greatest tradition and history on the PGA Tour in Mexico and Latin America. It will take place from November 7th to November 10th at El Cardonal Golf Course in Diamante, Cabo San Lucas.
De La Fuente scored 11 under par (97 strokes) in the classification event, which was held over 27 holes with a stroke play format, exclusive for Mexican golfers, on the tournament’s host course.
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“I would like to thank Diamante and all the sponsors for making this tournament possible, as they open the doors for us to be able to play a tournament that is a unique opportunity for us Mexicans,” said the 22-year-old player, after his celebration at El Cardonal Golf Course.
Santiago will participate for the first time in the World Wide Technology Championship and was ecstatic about it. In January of this year, the Mexican won the Latin American Amateur Championship (LAAC), which allowed him to play three of the four Majors of the season: The Masters at Augusta National, the U.S. Open and The Open Championship.
“Things went very well this morning and good golf was on my side today,” added the Ocotlán native and former representative of the University of Houston, who turned professional just three months ago!
During the first 18 holes last Monday morning, De La Fuente shot a card of 64 strokes (-8) and took a five-shot lead over José Cristóbal Islas from the central state of Hidalgo and Isidro Benítez from the southern state of Puebla (-3). The Jalisco native made a perfect walk of eight birdies to calmly compete for the last nine flags of the Mexican Qualifier.
Santiago improved his final score with three more birdies during the afternoon, to go without mistakes during the 27 holes played last Monday at El Cardonal Golf Course in Diamante Cabo San Lucas, for a total of -11.
It is important to note that all the players who finished between second and seventeenth place, then qualified for the Mexico Match Play – another tournament in which they all play against each other, for one last spot in the World Wide Technology Championship 2024. Those golfers were: Alejandro Madariaga, José Cristóbal Islas, Isidro Benítez, Enrique José Karg, Fernando Arzate, Mauricio Figueroa, Roberto Rodríguez Cacho, Gilberto Peña, José de Jesús “El Camarón” Rodríguez, Aarón Terrazas, Óscar Fraustro, Ricardo Soto, Bernardo Terán, Alberto Rutiz Nava, Eloy Vigil Escalera and Yahel Chahín.
After a fierce battle, the 25-year-old, Isidro Benítez beat the amateur Enrique José Karg in the final, which took place at the tournament’s headquarters’ field.
“I am happy to have won the Mexico Match Play. I have been waiting to participate in this fantastic tournament. These last days of competition were impeccable and everything went very well in terms of organization and results,” said Benítez, after his last victory at El Cardonal in Diamante.
Isidro finished with a birdie on three of his last four holes in the championship match in an afternoon where he made a six-meter putt on the 17th hole to seal the victory. On the other hand, Karg, the 19-year-old Guadalajara native demonstrated he was a worthy opponent for Benitez since he had the advantage for almost the entire game until Benítez’s comeback in the last holes of the round.
Isidro advanced to the Mexico Match Play, after placing fourth in the Mexican Qualifier, two days prior, with a score of 107 hits (two under par). The day after, in the round of 16, the left-hander beat the Southern Californian, Alberto Ruiz Nava and that same day in the afternoon, on the quarterfinals, he defeated Mauricio Figueroa. In the semifinals Benítez prevailed over Roberto Rodríguez Cacho, and for the grand finale, he faced Karg, an amateur who had just beaten Alejandro Madariaga (also from Puebla). The young golfer took advantage on the 4th hole, after a bogey by Isidro, who recovered for the next flag. The man from Guadalajara won the 6th hole and extended his lead up to two, before playing the back-nine.
In an outcome filled with excitement, Benítez took four holes in a row, from 14 to 17, to give him the final win, and thus the exemption to join his fellow countryman Santiago De La Fuente to play the famous PGA Tour on Mexican soil.
Tickets for the 2024 World Wide Technology Championship are now on sale at tickets.wwtchampionship.com. Here you can find different options for spectators to live the best experience, enjoy world-class golf and the wonderful landscape that Los Cabos offers.
In this second edition of the tournament in Los Cabos, fans can expect a big evolution, including upgrades to the VIP Hospitality suites, a food and art festival, additional Pro-Ams, live music, health and wellness events, activities for children, sponsor activations and much more.
General Admission tickets give access to the golf course and tournament facilities, as well as various special events and gourmet concession options. Two children 15 years or younger can get in for free, accompanied by a paying adult.
Also on sale is access to the Hospitality areas from Tacos on 17 by La Lupita, which offers an exclusive party venue with exquisite Mexican cuisine, to private suites and more exclusive hospitality venues such as The Woods and The Skybox.
For more information, please feel free to visit www.WWTChampionship.com or through social networks Facebook, Instagram and X by @WWTChampionship #WWTChampionship #WorldWideTechnology.
