Mateo Pulcini began the final round of the Latin American Amateur Championship two strokes back.
laac photo
Argentina’s Mateo Pulcini defeated Venezuela’s Virgilio Paz Valdes on the second playoff hole Sunday to win the Latin America Amateur Championship, becoming the championship’s oldest winner at 25 and the third winner from his home country.
“This tournament is something we dream to play in and win,” Pulcini said. “I have no words right now. I’m so happy and grateful for the people around me.”
Pulcini shot 69-68-70-68 (-5) at Lima Golf Club in Peru en route to the title, which brought with it an invitation to the 2026 Masters Tournament and exemptions into this year’s U.S. Open, Open Championship, Amateur Championship and U.S. Amateur.
“I was in doubt to turn pro or not,” Pulcini said. “I guess I have time after the Open to think on that again.”
Pulcini showed resilience throughout the tournament. He was three strokes off the lead after the first and second rounds, and two strokes back after Saturday’s third round. Playing in Sunday’s second-to-last group together, Pulcini and Paz Valdes remained close, with the Venezuelan making birdie at No. 17 and getting up and down for par on 18 to force a playoff.
After Pulcini drained a clutch putt of around 15 feet to force a second playoff hole, he two-putted from 70 feet for a winning par after Paz Valdes missed the green long and made bogey.
As runner-up, Paz Valdes earned spots in final qualifying for the Open, the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur. The University of Missouri senior also earned a berth in the Amateur Championship.
“I’m proud of myself of what I did this week so I’m just going to go back to school happy,” Paz Valdes said.
Out of the six players from Peru in the field, five made the cut: Mauricio Tello, Christian Muñoz, Jaime Yzaga, Rafael Claux and Patrick Sparks. Only Tiago Ledgard missed out. The highest Peruvian finisher was Sparks, last year’s runner-up, who finished T16.
The LAAC Academy was launched last August at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic. Twelve players from Latin American countries received instruction from coaches in the region.
Nine players who were part of the academy were in the Latin America Amateur field, and five of them, all 18 years old or younger, made the 36-hole cut: Venezuela’s Andrés Martínez Benedetti, Peru’s Mauricio Tello, Guatemala’s Matías Calderón, Bolivia’s Vicente Quiroga and Puerto Rico’s Evan Peña.
“The championship is really just the beginning,” said Fred Ridley, chairman of the Masters Tournament, who is heavily involved with the LAAC Academy. “It’s great that we are doing this and creating these heroes that we’ve talked about who’d have an impact as they go back home to their countries. That’s just a catalyst for these other things, and the academy is really sort of the next step.”
The 17-year-old Calderón, who missed the cut in his championship debut last year, shot 7-over through 36 holes.
“The Academy coaches have helped me prepare and stay focused this week,” Calderón said. “I could feel a big difference with my putting and the way I planned my shots.”
During Thursday’s first round, Venezuela’s Rafael Abad notched the fourth hole-in-one in championship history when he aced the 205-yard fourth hole. The 34-year-old hit a 7-iron into the wind and had to be told by his playing partners that his ball went in the hole.
“I’m very excited,” Abad said. “This is my first hole-in-one in a tournament so it feels very special, especially because it’s in the Latin America Amateur Championship.”
Two days later, Brazil’s Andrey Xavier carded his own ace on the fourth hole. The 24-year-old made his seventh LAAC start.
Next year’s Latin America Amateur will be played at Mayakoba’s El Camaleón course in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, it was announced last Thursday. It will be the second time the tournament visits Mexico and the Greg Norman design, following the 2020 edition in which Argentina’s Abel Gallegos emerged victorious.
“Our return to Mayakoba signals the founding partners’ commitment to having the region’s most talented golfers compete on a world-class stage each year, and the El Camaleón course is highly regarded for hosting prestigious championships and tour events,” said Martin Hattrell, chairman of the R&A, one of the championship’s three founding partners along with the Masters Tournament and the USGA. “We are excited to be playing the Latin America Amateur Championship in Mexico once more and look forward to another memorable occasion in 2027.”
El Camaleón has previously hosted the PGA Tour’s Mayakoba Golf Classic (now the World Wide Technology Championship) and LIV Golf Mayakoba. The 2027 Latin America Amateur is scheduled for Jan. 14-17.
Everett Munez
