The fifth event of the PGA TOUR Americas’ Latin America Swing will be played at the Quito Tenis & Golf Club, May 2-5, 2024

Six weeks ago, Felipe Garcés made history as the first Ecuadorian player to win the South American Amateur Championship. Posting rounds of 67-69-68-71, he went on to shoot 13-under for a two-stroke victory over Mexico’s Gerardo Gómez. After walking away with the winner’s medal at the Country Club de Bogota in Colombia, the 23-year-old from Quito didn’t hesitate to call it his biggest accomplishment.

“It’s incredible! I’m very happy to know all the hard work is paying off,” he said while also giving credit to his coach, Guido Vidotto. “We have had several close calls, and we were finally able to put all the pieces together to get this win.”

Providing playing opportunities for the top Ecuadorian players since its launch in 2014, the Kia Open organizers took notice of his performance and announced Garcés as the recipient of a sponsor exemption. Scheduled for the week of April 29, the Kia Open will be the fifth of six events on the PGA TOUR Americas’ Latin America Swing.

“I would like to thank the Kia Open for the invite. Hopefully, I’ll make the most out of it,” said Garcés, who graduated from the University of West Florida, an NCAA Division II school, last May. “It’s a tournament all golfers in Ecuador await and hope to play. I’m so happy for the opportunity to represent my country in an event of such caliber.”

The Kia Open has been an inspiration for Garcés right from its beginning. He remembers quite vividly his experience serving as a tournament volunteer during the inaugural edition in 2014 when he was a 14-year-old junior.

On the final day of that event, won by current PGA TOUR player Tyler McCumber, he was selected as the standard bearer for a group featuring Marcelo Rozo of Colombia, José Toledo of Guatemala and Sebastián Vázquez of Mexico.

“It was incredible! I remember it was my first time attending a professional golf tournament, so it was really cool to be inside the ropes with the players, watching them execute. Such an experience made me want to continue practicing hard so I could follow in their footsteps,” added Garcés, a native of Quito.

Only three years later, Garcés joined the Kia Open tournament field by carding a 2-under 69 in the Monday qualifier. A 17-year-old back then, he went on to shoot 75-73. He added another start in 2021, shooting 76-72 after being awarded a sponsor exemption.

Aside from becoming the new South American Amateur champion, since his last Kia Open start Garcés has claimed several other honors. He won the 2019 Brazilian Amateur Championship title at the Olympic Golf Course in Rio, was runner-up in the 2021 NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships and was named a 2023 Division II All-American (second team).

His hopes are high heading into his third Kia Open, which is only eight weeks away. “I’m ready for any challenge,” he states with confidence. “At the end of the day, I’m going to take it as another tournament. I know there’s a little more on the table because it’s a tournament from a PGA TOUR-sanctioned Tour, but I’m up to it. I just want to go out and do my best.”

Set to celebrate the tournament’s tenth anniversary, ProGolf Ecuador CEO and Kia Open promoter Nicolás Gross is proud of the way his event has impacted the growth of the game in Ecuador. “Stories such as Felipe Garces’ are what it is all about. We launched this event to entertain and inspire new generations of golfers in Ecuador,” said Gross. “After seeing him win the South American Amateur, we can’t wait to see him competing alongside the best PGA TOUR Americas players in just a few weeks”.