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Latin America Amateur Championship
From golfers to caddies: Three women look forward to 2026 Latin America Amateur Championship
09 Jan 26
4 mins
The Latin America Amateur Championship takes place from January 15 to 18.
Three top golfers from the region will be participating in the 2026 Latin America Amateur Championship in Peru. Their role: caddies for their respective husband and brothers.
“My job is to give him confidence and support, and I can help a lot with reading the putts and figuring out the breaks,” said 36-year-old , wife and caddie of one of the six Peruvians in the field, Rafael Claux. She is a long-time member of Lima Golf Club, the site of this year’s edition. Salinas, who finished tied fifth at her first Women’s Latin America Amateur at Lima Golf Club in 2024, will be caddying for Claux for the first time. “We are going to talk about things outside golf, which I think will be important to relax during the competition,” said 40-year-old Claux, whose life on and off the golf course has run parallel to Salinas’ for more than two decades. Both Salinas and Claux played college golf in the United States, turned professional for a short period, decided to retire, got married in 2016 and had two children, Mateo and María. “It has been around 10 years since I played a golf event of this magnitude,” said Claux. “The biggest motivation for me is that we are going to share the experience as a family.”
Franco Fernández will have big sister Giovanna caddying for him for the first time.
Mental help
For Paraguayan Giovanna Fernández, who will be caddying for her youngest brother Franco Fernández, it is also very much a family affair. At 18 years of age, Franco Fernández will be playing in his third Latin America Amateur, along with their 20-year-old brother Benjamin. “It will be the first time I caddie for him in a big event. I love caddying, not just because of my own experience as a player, but because I really like adapting to the player I am assisting,” said Giovanna, the only woman who has competed in every edition of the Women’s Amateur Latin America and its precursor, the ANNIKA Invitational Latin America. She finished tied ninth in 2024 at Lima Golf Club and graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2025, where she played with three champions of the Women’s Amateur Latin America: Colombian María José Marín (2025), Mexican Clarisa Temelo (2024) and Argentine Ela Anacona (2023). Giovanna Fernández caddied for teammate and friend Anacona at the 2024 Evian Championship, the fourth major of the year in women’s professional golf. At the Evian she was able to test her vocation for mental coaching. “I love the mental side of the game, so I enjoy watching the behaviour and the reactions of the player. Franco’s strength is his competitiveness. He never gives up. We talk a lot about trusting his game and enjoying the present moment,” said Giovanna about their preparations. “I think it is going to help me a lot to have my sister on the bag. She knows me very well, how to manage me, and she is helping me with the mental aspect,” said Franco, as he gets ready for his third start.
Brazilian Lauren Grinberg will caddy for her brother Guilherme for the second successive LAAC.