Mateo Pulcini didn’t want to troll.
By all accounts, he’s as considerate as they come, and no one seems more happy-go-lucky, though his golf would bring anyone joy. In January, in a playoff, he won the Latin America Amateur Championship, giving him tee times in April at the Masters, last month at the U.S. Open and this week at the Open Championship. At those first two majors, the 25-year-old amateur missed the cut, but he said he’s felt grateful, and this week has been just as welcome.
“It was everything what I was expecting and more,” Pulcini said. “The treatment is the one that stands out the [most], like how the people in the locker room, like the grill room, players lounge, everything, it’s been unbelievable. The organization of this tournament is unbelievable again.
“And the players, of course, I played with a bunch of them, and they were all nice. They were all helping. Yeah, it’s good.”
Thursday, during the first round, was fair. He made par on 1. But he bogeyed 2, on a three-putt from 69 feet. And he bogeyed 6, after a tee shot into the hay. And he bogeyed 8, after a tee shot into a fairway bunker. On 10, Pulcini hit twice from another fairway bunker and double-bogeyed. On 12, he missed the par-3’s green short and right and bogeyed. He birdied 14, but bogeyed 16. Coming to 18, he was six-over.
And over the moon.
Wednesday night, over barbecue, the Argentinian watched Argentina win its World Cup semifinal. They’d been down a goal, then Enzo Fernandez scored with 5 minutes to go in regulation, Lautaro Martinez scored in extra time, and they were off to Sunday’s final. “I didn’t miss a single second,” Pulcini said.
And England was done.
But Pulcini wasn’t.
Thursday morning, he played at Royal Birkdale.
In England.
In front of Englishmen, who take their football as seriously as their fish and chips.
Did Pulcini hear any chirps?
“No, not at all,” Pulcini said. “People are being great. Fans are being spectacular. They were cheering for me as well.
“I wasn’t having a good — the score wasn’t good at all. I wasn’t having a good day, but this on 18 make it a little bit better.”
This was a 40-foot, 3-inch birdie putt on the closing hole.
Followed by this.
A few seconds after his ball dropped, Pulcini cupped both of his hands over his ears.
Just like Fernandez did on Wednesday night.
“No,” Pulcini said, “I didn’t want to do anything like trying to — what’s the word? Making fun of, like, the match that you guys lost because the tournament here has been unbelievable, and that celebration came from a 40-foot putt. I was pretty excited, and that came to my mind, and I did it.
“I wasn’t thinking of doing anything.”
Which felt better: the putt or the goal?
“Enzo’s goal,” Pulcini said, “for sure.”
The next few days should be memorable for him. Friday, he’ll play his Open second round. On Sunday, Argentina will play in the World Cup final against Spain. (Interestingly, one of his playing partners for the first two rounds is Angel Ayora, a Spaniard.) And Saturday and Sunday, Pulcini said he’ll be at Birkdale, even if he misses the cut.
“I’m saying, like I played Augusta, U.S. Open, didn’t make the cut in both, and I stayed,” he said. “I love seeing these guys, how good they are. They’re unbelievable people as well. Everyone is treating me really well.
“I really have fun watching them, like seeing how good they are and what I need to get debt better and that stuff.”
He also had a couple of predictions.
Argentina will win. And should you question his prognostication, he told Englishman Matt Wallace that Argentina would beat England 2-1.
“It’s going to be a really tough game,” Pulcini said of the final. “I thought France was going to win this, and then Spain controlled all the game. It was unbelievable how they played. They’re insanely good.”
And he also hoped to make the weekend at the Open.
“I’m really grateful for this year,” Pulcini said. “What LAAC has given to the winner, it’s the best gift any golfer can ever have. I enjoy every moment of it, which I think was very positive. I’m taking a lot of good stuff from this year to — I haven’t been playing like I wanted this tournament.
“We have one more round — well, hopefully three. I’m taking everything positive from this week, the Masters, the U.S. Open. I met a lot of new people. Like a lot of manufacturing companies, equipment companies, they’ve been treating me really, really nice.
“That gets me excited for the future, practice a little more — no, a lot more. Yeah, excited.”
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