Aaron Jarvis to Be 1st Player from Cayman Islands to Play the Masters, British Open

Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images

Aaron Jarvis will be the first player from the Cayman Islands to play in the Masters and The Open Championship after earning a one-shot victory in the Latin America Amateur Championship.

The 19-year-old made a birdie on the final hole for a three-under 69. 

“I can’t even put this into words. What a day,” Jarvis said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). “It means the world to me. The opportunity to go to the Masters, the British Open. There’s no young golfer who doesn’t dream of anything but going to those tournaments.”

Jarvis also participated in the LAAC in 2019, finishing tied for 50th. Since then, the UNLV freshman has refined his skills at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Orlando, Florida.

Before taking the course at Casa de Campo, Jarvis said Friday that his experiences at UNLV and the David Leadbetter Golf Academy had taken his game to the next level. 

He said, per Shane Ryan of Golf Digest:

The last time I played, I didn’t have much experience. Kind of just grew up playing in the Cayman Islands and then [the LAAC] was my biggest tournament ever … coming here and making the cut was like a big accomplishment for me. Now that I have more experience under the belt, the academy and my first semester at UNLV, has progressed me to where I can compete with these guys on another level now.

Jarvis entered the LAAC as the 1,669th-ranked amateur player in the world. In addition to a win at Casa de Campo, he also won the 54 Hole Junior Open at Celebration in June 2020, the South Florida Junior Open in July 2020 and the CIGA Christmas Match Play Invitational in December 2020. 

Jarvis also finished second at the Coach Invitational in December 2021.