University of Arkansas senior Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira broke the scoring record — finishing 23 under with a score of 265 — to win the 2023 Latin American Amateur Championship. He led a group of four Razorbacks that finished among the top 15 as Manuel Lozada placed for fifth (-14), Julian Perico placed sixth (-13) and Segundo Oliva Pinto tied for 15th (-6).
Fernandez de Oliveira shot rounds of 68-67-63-67 for a score of 265 (-23). The previous low 72-hole total was 273 (-13) in 2018 and the previous low score for par in 2019 was -14 (274).
With the win, Fernandez de Oliveira receives invitations to play in the Masters Tournament, the Open Championship, the US Open, the Amateur Championship and the US Amateur Championship later this year.
Fernandez de Oliveira is the second Argentinian to win the LAAC, joining 2020 winner Abel Gallego, and will be the third player to finish second one year and come back to be champion the following year. Former Razorback and 2019 LAAC champion Alvaro Ortiz (Mexico) was runner-up in 2017 and 2018 and 2018 LAAC champion Joaquin Neimann (Chile) was runner-up in 2017.
Fernandez de Oliveira opened the final round with a four-shot lead and birdied the opening hole. He dropped a shot on the par-4 3rd hole but birdied holes 4, 6 and 9 to lead by three at the turn. The lead was cut to two shots, but birdies on holes 11 and 12 helped restore a four-shot lead. He closed his round with six pars to clinch the title.
In addition to his 54-hole scoring records, Fernandez de Oliveira tied the single-round scoring mark with 63 (round three) and the 54-hole scoring records at 198 (low total) and -18 (low score in relation to par. ) .
Lozada, playing in his second LAAC, was fifth with three rounds in the 60s (69-9-68-68=274). In the final round, Lozada was +1 after seven holes with a birdie and two bogeys. However, he went birdies-birdie-eagle over his next three holes. He also had a birdie on 14. Although he dropped a shot on 17, Lozada finished his championship with a birdie to edge teammate Razorback Perico for a solo fifth-place finish.
Perico, playing in his sixth and final LAAC, recorded his fourth top-10 finish, placing sixth with a score of 275 (70-66-67-72). After two pars to open his final round, Perico had bogeys on holes 3 and 4. After six pars, Perico got back to even for the day with birdies on holes 11 and 12. He also birdied 14 but had a bogey on 15 before closing. with three par.
Oliva Pinto started slowly, standing in 42nd place after opening rounds of 72-74. However, he jumped 22 spots after round three with a 4-under 68 on Saturday. He matched that 68 with a bogey-free round on Sunday to finish the championship at 6-under par 282 and record his third top-15 finish in three appearances at the LAAC.
View at the LAACMateo Fernandez de Oliveira (Argentina) 2018: T19; 2019: T38; 2020: T19; 2022: T2; 2023 1stManuel Lozada (Argentina) 2022: T43; 2023: 5Segundo Oliva Pinto (Argentina) 2020:8; 2022: T12; 2023: T15Julian Perico (Peru) 2017: T4; 2018: T43; 2019: T25; 2020: T6; 2022: T9; 2023:6
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