Alvaro Ortiz

Ortiz was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Ortiz's track record of success at the Latin America Amateur Championship was rewarded with a victory at the 2019 edition. He finished runner-up in 2017 and 2018 and T-3rd in 2015 before finally securing his breakthrough win with a final-round 66 and a two-shot victory.
Although Ortiz liked football as a child, he decided to make golf his way of life, thanks to his family. He often practiced with his older brother Carlos, who became his idol and example to follow. Alvaro was a top junior player but had to figure out how to control his temperament. He did it with the help of his parents and Brad McMakin, Ortiz's college coach at Arkansas. Alvaro didn't follow his brother Carlos' path and go to the University of North Texas but wanted to play in the SEC and create his own mark at a college.
In the five-year history of the Latin America Amateur, Ortiz has had a tedious but successful history. He thought he might be heading to Augusta during the inaugural Latin America Amateur played outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2015, but he came up just short, tying for third, just two shots off the lead after closing with a 67. In 2017, Ortiz ended up tied for the lead with two other players after 72 holes but couldn't prevail in the playoff. And in 2018, he was once again a bridesmaid, coming in second, giving up the 54-hole lead when Joaquin Niemann raced by him with a final-round 63.
After that defeat, Ortiz struggled through the rest of the year. He went to Scotland and made it into match play at the British Amateur but lost in the first round to Lukas Euler 4 and 3. He missed the cut at the Western Amateur Championship and at the U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach, he reached match play, but again lost in the first round, this time to Cole Hammer, 2 up.
He decided to enter the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour qualifying tournament as an amateur, with the thought that he would turn professional if he got through all of the stages. He made it past the first stage but in the second stage in McKinney, Texas, he shot a final-round 74 and missed the cut by five shots. This was a serious blow - he felt confident that he would get his Korn Ferry Tour card but it didn't happen. He got down on himself and stopped practicing. His brother Carlos had a serious talk with him and it hit home to Alvaro, who rededicated himself. He decided to stay an amateur, and at the end of 2018, won two events in Mexico. Over Christmas, he formulated a new game plan to play at the Latin America Amateur Championship in the Dominican Republic and barring a victory, turn professional and head to the PGA Tour Latinoamerica Qualifying School. At the LAAC, though, everything fell into place. He shot 66-72-70-66 for a two-shot win and earn an invitation to play at the 2019 Masters.
Soon afterward, he realized what happened at the second stage of qualifying school was a blessing. Had he made the Korn Ferry Tour, he never would have been able to return to the event that had eluded and frustrated him. Nor, possibly, would he ever get a chance to play at the Masters. He had always wanted to play at Augusta National and two years earlier got an invitation to travel to Augusta and take in a Masters's practice round. But he didn't want to do it that way. He wanted to play in the Masters the first time he saw Augusta National.
Ortiz played in the Masters anf finished T-36th. Unfortunely Viktor Hovland was a shot better to win low amateur honors. He played in four PGA Tour events but missed the cut in all four. At the end of 2019 he went back to Korn Ferry Tour qualifying tournament and had the same nightmare story he had the year before. He made it through the first stage and in the second stage in McKinney, shot 72-73 over the weekend to miss advancing to the final stage by four shots.
2020 Notes: He finished 1st in PTLA Qualifying Tournament to get his Latinoamerica tour card and also got his Mackenzie Tour Card by finishing T-8th in qualifying school. Got to play in one Latinoamerica event finishing 2nd at the Estrella del Master. But COVID-19 set in to eliminate both those tours. He did play in the Latinoamerica LOCALIQ Series and had two top-tens, best finish was 3rd at the Invitational at Auburn University.
2021 Notes: Was able to win his only Latinoamerica tour win at the Abierto Mexicano de Golf. Alvaro earned a spot in his first U.S. Open through a 36-hole qualifier in Dallas and with his brother Carlos also in the field they will become the first pair of brothers to play in the U.S. Open since Edoardo and Francesco Molinari did it in 2011 at Congressional.