Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira isn’t going to be leaving any doubt.
The senior from Arkansas was runner-up in the Latin America Amateur Championship last year. He was able to get an invitation to the Masters and two majors.
The Argentinian is leading this year with 18 holes left. Fernandez de Oliveira shot 9-under 63 on moving day. This was fueled by five birdies on the back nine. He will be leading by four shots in Sunday’s final round at Grand Reserve Golf Club, Puerto Rico. He is currently at 18 under for this tournament. This puts him ahead of second-round leader Luis Carrera (a Mexican fifth-year senior at UCF).
Fernandez de Oliveira is 54-hole LAAC’s record holder with an 18-under total. Fernandez de Oliveira’s 9-under round in the third round tied Joaquin Niemann’s tournament record.
Julian Perico, a fellow Razorback teammate, is tied for third at 13 over. Perico shot a 5-under-67 in the third round. Perico is tied with Vicente Marzillo who shot 6 under Saturday.
Fernandez de Oliveira shot the second-best round, by two shots. But the highlight was when he birdied Nos. 11-15 to take the lead. To cap off his round without a bogey, he birdied the par-4 18th.
!Que dia para @MateofdeoMateo
A (-17) el jugador de Argentina.Mateo had a great day!
Argentina’s player gets to (-17). #LAAC2023 pic.twitter.com/90uco8ssA7— Latin America Amateur Championship (@LAAC_Golf January 14, 2023
The 2023 Masters, Open Championship, and U.S. Open will be granted to the winner. They will also be exempt from the 128th Amateur Championship. Amateur Championship, and any other USGA amateur title for which they are eligible.
The final stages of qualifying for U.S. Open or Open Championship are exempted from the runner-up.
