Masters Berth On The Line In Buenos Aires

The first-ever "LAAC" brought to us by the Masters, R&A and USGA kicks off Thursday from The Pilar Golf Club in Buenos Aires. The winner of the Latin America Amateur Championship earns a spot in the 2015 Masters.

Bob Harig reports from Buenos Aires on the latest effort to grow the amateur game, piggy-backing on the already hugely successful Asia-Pacific Amateur.

The field consists of 109 players from South and Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico. The World Amateur Golf Rankings were used to fill the field, but every country in the region is represented by at least two players, including places such as the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos, and Barbados. And all of it is funded through the efforts of the Masters, the R&A and the USGA (and their corporate sponsors), which is taking part in this grow-the-game initiative for the first time.

Andy Hall talks to ESPN's Sean McDonough who along with Andy North and Dottie Pepper, have an entirely new field of players to get to know and a short time to get there.

“When I first was assigned it, I honestly couldn’t name anybody who was in the event,” he said. “That’s the biggest challenge, but we’re getting a lot of help.

You can follow the proceedings online here.

The telecast times. (Note the Saturday shift to ESPNEWS.)

First Round: Thursday, Jan. 15, 1 p.m. (ESPN2, WatchESPN)
Second Round: Friday, Jan. 16, 1 p.m. (ESPN2, WatchESPN)
Third Round: Saturday, Jan. 17, 10 a.m. (ESPNEWS, WatchESPN)
Final Round: Sunday, Jan. 18, 11 a.m. (ESPN2, WatchESPN)
Final Round Highlights: Sunday, Jan. 18, 5 p.m. (ESPN2, WatchESPN)