PANAMA CITY — UCLA junior Omar Morales of Mexico opened with a 1-under 69 on Thursday and shared the lead with Santiago de la Fuente of Mexico and José Arzú of Guatemala after one round of the Latin America Amateur .
Morales teed off at the US Open last year at Los Angeles Country Club and played the first round like he wanted to make a comeback.
The winner of the Latin America Amateur earns a place in the US Open, the Masters and the British Open.
Morales made two birdies in these last four holes with the wind from the Santa María Golf Club. At No. 72 in the world amateur rankings, he is the highest-ranked player in the field.
De la Fuente birdied the final hole to share the lead with his fellow Mexican. Arzú started strong with three birdies in a row before settling for a 69.
Eight countries and territories were represented in the top 10.
