For Mateo Pulcini, luck turned into a dream at Lima Golf Club in Peru.
At the Latin American Amateur Championship, the 25-year-old Argentinian found himself in a sudden-death playoff against Venezuela’s Virgilio Paz, with a spot in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open at stake.
Perhaps that fazed Pulcini, or at least it appeared that way. He hit his tee shot with an iron into the right rough, placing his ball in the right rough, so he tried to muscle his second shot on the green—and things didn’t look good upon impact. The shot came out low, yet improbably skirted under a tree directly in Pulcini’s line, settling roughly 40 feet from the hole. He’d then chip to 20 feet and make the par putt to stay alive.
On the second extra hole, Paz made bogey after chipping to 40 feet on his third shot and missing the par putt. And Pulcini would seal the deal by putting to 3 feet from off the green and tapping in for a winning par.
Fantasy had become a reality.
El putt que Mateo Pulcini nunca olvidará. 🇦🇷🏆 pic.twitter.com/GCAiau7s6L
— Latin America Amateur Championship (@LAAC_Golf) January 18, 2026
“We dream to play and to win this,” Pulcini said. “I have no words right now. I’m so happy and so grateful for the people around me.”
Pulcini first played collegiately at Division II Oklahoma Christian, where he was a three-time All-American in four years, before transferring to Arkansas and finishing his 2023-24 season with just five starts and two top 20s.
Now, he’s the oldest LAAC winner since the tournament’s inception 10 years ago.
“It was a fun fight, a long day,” Paz said after the defeat. “I'm proud of myself for what I did. I go back to school happy.”
More Golf from Sports Illustrated
- Chris Gotterup Becomes First PGA Tour Winner of 2026 in Possibly Last Sony Open
- 2026 PGA Tour Schedule: Complete Dates, Winners, Purses
- 2026 American Express Full Field: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler Makes Season Debut
- Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry Fumble Dubai Invitational Win with Final-Hole Misfortunes
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Improbable Break in Latin America Amateur Gets Argentinian Into Three Majors.
