Dorado Beach Resort in Puerto Rico set to host its first PGA Latinoamerica Tour event in November

The PGA Tour’s commitment to growing golf in South America and the Caribbean – in step with the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil – will be showcased during the 11-tournament PGA Latinoamerica Tour this fall.

The new tour will swing into Puerto Rico from Nov. 12-18 for the $125,000 Puerto Rico Classic. It will be played at the East Course at Dorado Beach Resort in Dorado, a golf resort I visited last fall. The photo above is of the famous ‘Z’ hole, a par-5 that bends twice around water hazards. The place is certainly a worthy choice. The revamped East course – a Robert Trent Jones Sr. original – was recently redone by Robert Trent Jones II, restored to its original glory. There will certainly be a buzz about the property during the event. The resort should be in the final stages of the construction of a new Ritz-Carlton Reserve, the highest brand of luxury in the exclusive hotel chain. See my stories here and here.

The PGA Tour Latinoamerica will initially consist of 11 events played in Puerto Rico and six countries across Latin America including Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Peru. In 2013, the plan is to have up to 14 events on the schedule. The fields will consist primarily of the top professionals in the region with the top money earners receiving access to the PGA Tour’s Nationwide Tour the following year.

The Dorado event adds to Puerto Rico’s growing roster of top flight tournaments hosted on the island including: the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tour in January; the NCAA Puerto Rico Classic (the top 15 university teams) in February; and the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open in March.

Puerto Rico Golf Association President Sidney Wolf, who is tournament chairman of the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open, noted that the island’s role in the PGA Tour Latinoamerica will generate additional hotel room nights and have a direct and indirect economic impact “while continuing to showcase Puerto Rico particularly throughout the Americas.”

Puerto Rico should be on your short list of Caribbean winter golf destinations, even if you don’t hit it like the PGA Tour Latinoamerica pros. You can book Puerto Rico tee times here.