A record-breaking victory by Argentine Mateo Fernández de Oliveira at the 2023 Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC), at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Puerto Rico, marked the beginning of another memorable year for the competition and its alumni.
“I'm looking forward to a great year. I'm going to take advantage of the three opportunities that I've been given for winning this event,” said Fernández de Oliveira after winning the LAAC, the day before his 23rd birthday and 100 years after the birth of legendary Argentine golfer Roberto De Vicenzo.
With his win, he had earned an invitation to the 2023 Masters Tournament, an exemption for the first time into the U.S. Open at The Los Angeles Country Club and an exemption for The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool. “I'm very happy and I just want to enjoy every second of it,” added the LAAC champion.
And enjoying he did, staying at the Crow’s Nest, the special accommodations for amateurs on the third floor of the Augusta National Clubhouse, competing with the best golfers in the world at historic Los Angeles Country Club, and retracing the steps of 1967 Open champion De Vicenzo at Royal Liverpool.
RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE
Although he did not make the cut in the three events, his presence at the majors was the result of a memorable record-breaking performance at Grand Reserve Golf Club. Fernández de Oliveira shattered the LAAC scoring records after 36 holes, 54 holes, and 72 holes on his way to a victory by four strokes over Mexican runner-up Luis Carrera.
“It was a fantastic battle. I was hitting some really good shots and Mateo was making up and downs and making putts from everywhere. I felt I was playing very solidly and was not getting close to him. I got to two shots, but not much closer,” said Carrera about his last round as an amateur.
Fernández de Oliveira, who also turned pro after The Open Championship, and three top-10 finishers of the 2023 LAAC–Peruvian Julián Périco, Brazilian Fred Biondi, and Puerto Rican Roberto Nieves—met for the last time as amateurs at the NCAA Finals in May, where Biondi won the individual and the team competition with the University of Florida.
BACK IN 2024
The other five top-10 finishers in 2023—Vicente Marzilio and Manuel Lozada from Argentina, José Islas and Santiago De la Fuente from Mexico, and Jerónimo Esteve from Puerto Rico—will be contending again at Santa María Golf Club in Panama in January 2024.
“I felt very comfortable again. I had a good start and a chance to win most of the week. Mateo got away and it was very hard to catch him. However, I had a great time, and it was great to be playing in the last group two years in a row,” recalled Marzilio about his second consecutive top-three performance after finishing runner-up in 2022.
Like the other 14 top-20 finishers and 64 players from the last edition who will return, and the rest of the 108 best amateurs from the region competing in 2024, Marzilio has been preparing and looking forward all year for another memorable Latin America Amateur Championship at Santa María Golf Club in Panama.
