Henrique Lavie
has guided the destiny of the Tour de las Americas (TLA) since 1998.
He currently serves as Commissioner of the TLA and simultaneously as
Chairman of the PGA of the Americas, the parent entity of the TLA.
Under his leadership of the professional golf Tour of Latin America
and the Caribbean, Lavie has taken the TLA to new accomplishments,
such as its inclusion as an Associate Member of the International
Federation of PGA Tours.
An outstanding golfer in his native Venezuela, as an amateur Lavie won
several National Championships and represented Venezuela at the World
Amateur Team Championship in 1986 and 1988. After earning his degree
in Business Administration at the Universidad Metropolitana in
Caracas, Lavie became a professional golfer in 1988. Aside from
winning several events on the Venezuelan Tour, as a pro he had the
honor of being one of the founding members of the South American Tour
in 1991. He also represented Venezuela at the World Cup in 1995 and
1996.
In 1998 the Board of Directors of the South American Tour and its
president, Dr. Humberto Berger, invited Lavie to become the Tour’s
Executive Director. From this position he led the transition to the
Tour de las Americas, which was owned first by World Sports Group
between 2000 and 2003, and then by Parallel Media Group between 2003
and 2006. Under Lavie’s direction, the TLA became an independent,
players member-owned organization in early 2007, thereafter becoming an
Associate Member of the International Federation of PGA Tours later
that same year.
In 2009 Lavie was designated as a member of the International Golf
Federation (IGF)’s Professional Golf Advisory Committee, in
representation of the TLA, which supports golf’s bid as an Olympic
sport.
The international relationships established by the Commissioner have
also been decisive for the development of the Tour and its players.
Among his accomplishments, Lavie earned the full support for the TLA
of The R&A, the European Tour and the Canadian Tour. The strong and
valuable relationship with the Europeans has translated into 27 co-sanctioned
tournaments with the European Challenge Tour between 2003 and 2009,
while a promising new series of events co-sanctioned with the Canadian
Tour emerged in 2008. As a result of these events, a large number of
Tour de las Americas’ players have benefited from, and are now playing
on, the world’s leading stages, such as the PGA Tour and the European
Tour.
A member of Venezuela’s prestigious Lagunita Country Club in Caracas,
Lavie is a member of the club’s board of directors. As one of the
leading clubs in South America, Lagunita CC has hosted two World Cups,
one for professionals in 1974 and another for amateurs in 1986. The
Commissioner has also ventured into the field of communications as a
golf advisor for the international cable news network CNN en Español,
where he makes regular appearances analyzing golf’s major events. He
also acts as a golf consultant for businessmen from Spain’s ONCE Group,
among others.
Born on August 8, 1964 in Caracas, Venezuela, Henrique Lavie lives in
Caracas with his wife Claudia and his three children.
Henrique Lavie
has guided the destiny of the Tour de las Americas (TLA) since 1998.
He currently serves as Commissioner of the TLA and simultaneously as
Chairman of the PGA of the Americas, the parent entity of the TLA.
Under his leadership of the professional golf Tour of Latin America
and the Caribbean, Lavie has taken the TLA to new accomplishments,
such as its inclusion as an Associate Member of the International
Federation of PGA Tours.
