Argentine Mateo Pulcini is the newly crowned champion of the Latin America Amateur Championship after a thrilling finish that was decided in a two-hole playoff. In doing so, he became the third player from his country to win the premier amateur “Major” organized by the Masters, The R&A, and the USGA.
With this title, the Córdoba native secured an invitation to play the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in the second week of April, along with exemptions into The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale and the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. In addition, he will compete in The Amateur Championship and the U.S. Amateur.
“It’s an incredible feeling. Having the opportunity to play in this tournament and, of course, to win it, is something I only imagined before coming here. That’s what I thought about every night before going to sleep. Yesterday I thought I would arrive at the 18th hole three up, different from how I imagined it, but with the same result,” said Pulcini, who closed the championship with a 68 (-2) for a total of 275 (-5). That score allowed him to tie Venezuelan Virgilio Paz Valdes thanks to an extraordinary 6-meter putt for par. As runner-up, Paz Valdes earned invitations to the Final Qualifying stages for The Open, the U.S. Open, and the U.S. Amateur Championship. Additionally, the top three finishers receive an exemption into The Amateur Championship (ties are handled according to the Championship Conditions).
History repeats itself every three years for Argentina: in 2020, Abel Gallegos became the first Argentine to win the LAAC, and in 2023 Mateo Fernández de Oliveira followed suit. Here in Peru, the player from Río Cuarto became, at 25 years old, the oldest champion in the event’s history. “I’m happy to be able to play three Majors. The Masters is an incredible tournament—everyone wants to play it. I’ve been told stories about it and about how demanding the slopes are. The U.S. Open at Shinnecock is going to be amazing, although the rough scares me a bit. And The Open at Royal Birkdale—I’ve never played it, but I’ve been told it’s very different and spectacular. I’m extremely excited to experience all of that,” said Pulcini.
The champion survived at the 72nd hole by holing a crucial putt, and again on the first playoff hole when everything seemed to favor the Venezuelan after a poor iron tee shot by the Argentine. Once more, Pulcini holed a long bomb to force a second playoff hole. And again, with the same iron off the tee on the par-4 18th, he found the thick Bermuda rough. This time, however, luck was on his side: his ball slipped through all the trees, while his rival (who used the driver on both occasions) flew the green with a 9-iron, the ball finishing almost on the back putting green, under a tree, with an impossible lie.
In this way, Argentina drew level with Chile in total titles at the eleventh edition of the championship, which placed Lima Golf Club at center stage. Both the club and the course rose to the occasion of an event of extraordinary magnitude for an amateur tournament. Undoubtedly, since its creation, the LAAC has been the catalyst Latin America and the Caribbean needed to develop the sport, create heroes, and certify the stars of the future. That is the spirit of the LAAC, which will return in 2027 to Mexican soil—where Abel Gallegos began writing a golden chapter for Argentine golf in this tournament, now sealed by Mateo Pulcini.
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