Jamaica's Oshae Haye and Zandre Roye found the going tough in the opening round of the ninth Latin America Amateur Championship and were hoping to play catch up in the second round of action in Panama.

With some 108 golfers from Latin America and the Caribbean parading their skills at the Santa Maria Golf Club, Roye and Haye are faced with a daunting task of ascending up the order from seven over par 77 and nine over par 79 respectively. Both are now in danger of not making the cut, as the cut line will be announced at the end of the second round.

Oral Morales and Santiago De la Fuente, both of Mexico, and Guatemala's Jose Arzu of Guatemala, all locked on one under par 69 at the top of the standing.

Roye, who started out well and was in 17th position at one point, had some issues as he approached the end of the round, which resulted in a slip down the leaderboard.

"Day one completed. I shot a 77 today with a bogey and a triple bogey on the last two holes. Not the ideal finish, very bad finish, but all in all, I really hit the ball today. Hit a lot of greens, made a lot of putts. In a positive trend going into tomorrow, I think we can better that score tomorrow definitely," Roye said.

Both golfers are representing Jamaica at the championship for the first time. Justin Burrowes, who turned pro late last year, and William Knibbs have represented Jamaica in recent times.

Other representatives include Ian Facey, who is also now among the professional ranks, as well as Sean Morris and Jonathan Newnham. The island’s best placed golfer in the championship to date is Facey, who tied for 24th position in 2015 with a best round of 68 on the first day.

Expectations are high as Jamaican golfers Oshae Haye and Zandre Roye departed the island for the ninth edition of the Latin America Amateur Championship.

Thought it will be their first time at the event, both Haye and Roye boast a wealth of experience competing in local and regional tournaments and, as such, is banking on their potential to represent Jamaica well at the January 18-21 Championship in Panama.

Haye, a former national golf champion expressed excitement at the opportunity, which he is hoping to capitalise on.

"I really and truly was very, very excited after I heard that I am in. Thanks to Mr. Johan Campbell, he is the one who have us playing all the courses around the island, so we work pretty hard on the game headed in for this tournament. My main (intention) is to make that cut and then we take it step by step from there," Haye said.

For Roye, who has won numerous golf tournaments locally, including the Heroes Golf Classic, described the opportunity as an honour.

"It's an honour to represent the country in this championship. It has been a long way coming. I have been working really hard on the game and to get this opportunity, it really means a lot. I couldn't ask for a better person to be on this trip with me, my best friend Oshae Haye, to be leaving the country right now to play in one of the biggest amateur tournaments in this part of the world is 'goose bump' moment," he shared.

As it relates to the level of competition expected, Roye believes he is just as capable as his opponents.

"My game is there. I hit the ball just as well as any of those guys over there. It's all about putting the four rounds together and see where it ends up at the end of the week," he declared.

Meanwhile, Jodi Munn-Barrow, president of the Jamaica Golf Association is expecting both golfers to give a good account of themselves.

"The Jamaica Golf Association is very proud to have Zandre Roye and Oshae Haye represent us at the LAAC this coming week. Zandre and Oshae have been playing in regional events and they have garnered a lot of experience which I am sure will augur well for them as they face new challenges at this prestigious event," she said.