Latin America Amateur Championship: good wind for the Argentines, with everyone in the race for the weekend

LA ROMANA, Dominican.– The second round of the Latin America Amateur Championship It was another good day for the Argentines in the Dominican. Four made it into the top 10, and the eight passed the cut and will compete today and tomorrow in the wonderful Teeth of the Dog course, in La Romana, in pursuit of a place in the Augusta Masters and the British Open. Meanwhile, several of the former enjoy the camaraderie and friendship between them.

Second Olive Pinto continues as the best of the Argentines, but fell back to second place. He did not have an easy day and, this time with the pair of 72 strokes, he is still -6. “It was a difficult morning. I woke up tired, and I knew that it was not going to be the same as yesterday”, he commented for the nation. He didn’t get off to a good start, but he settled in. “I had to be more patient, fight to straighten up, and I managed it in the end. My strategy for the weekend will be to attack”, expressed the Cordovan.

Abel Gallegos he is the defending champion, but the pressure is off. “It makes me very happy to be, but winner of the last LAAC I am off the field; in the field I am one more”, commented the young man from 25 de Mayo. He finished the round in third place at 5-under after Thursday’s -2. “Yesterday I didn’t hit very well and I closed a good lap. Today I came earlier, with a good feeling, and I looked solid on all the shots. It was a good lap and it’s always nice to finish under par”, said who played at Augusta and Royal St. George’s in 2021.

Silent, Vicente Marzilio still well located. He shares the third place with Gallegos, after the initial -1 and with the global -5. “Today was more important than yesterday, because I played the first hole badly and the entry slap is hard. Luckily I was patient throughout the round and at one point I started to play very well. I was under par and that leaves me with chances for the weekend”. By the way, hopes have enough. “The goal is to reach the last nine holes with a chance, and days like today show me that I can. I will go look for it with patience, “he said.

Another well located Mateo Fernández de Oliveira, which with the 72 from yesterday and the total -3 occupies the eighth position. “From hole 1 to 12 it was an incredible lap, but from then on I accelerated, I didn’t control myself. Still, I’m in a good position for the weekend,” he said. The other Argentines are Aram Yenidjeian (-1), Manuel Lozada (+3), Juan Martín Loureiro (+6) and the last winner of the Argentine Amateur Championship, Andy Schönbaum (+6).

Andy Schönbaum, last winner of the Argentine Amateur Championship, also got into the cut. Although he knows he didn’t play well, he has expectations for the weekend: “I’m playing well, but I’m missing a few shots. Mistakes are part of learning, both mental and technical. It’s not good to play badly but you have to cool down and get the good out. Over the weekend I’ll have to get a little closer,” he said. It is worth noting that all the Argentines passed the cut and will also be disputing the trophy Aram Yenidjeian (-1), Manuel Lozada (+3) and Juan Martín Loureiro (+6).

The new leader is the Peruvian Julián Perico, with 9 under par, but he seems almost more interested in friendships than in his leadership. “Playing with Abel is incredible,” said de Gallegos, his traveling companion on both wheels. “He is such a humble person, so happy… I hope I play with him tomorrow because we had a great time and that reflects what amateur golf is. We all play for a dream, but if we don’t have fun, it’s not good”, stressed Perico.

With a brotherly hug, the Peruvian greeted Oliva Pinto, a classmate at the University of Arkansas. They agreed to go to lunch and then to the beach. “It is very nice to play with friends. I get along very well with everyone. That takes pressure off. With the talks with them. this becomes fun and at the same time competitive”, affirmed the Argentine.

The group of university friends in the United States is completed by the Colombian Juan Camilo Vesga, who is 14th, and Lozada and Fernández de Oliveira. “We have known each other for a long time and we share many things. That way everything is much more fun, team trips are entertaining”, said the latter, also a friend of Gallegos. “We all have a level of golf where we can help each other with the weak parts of each other’s game, and this empowers us,” he added.

For Marzilio too, camaraderie plays squarely in trust. “It feels very good. Walking with them, chatting, is very good. Each one is in their own world, but when I need to disconnect a bit between shots, chatting with friends relaxes me to concentrate”, he stressed.

The competition in La Romana is intense for a big prize, but it doesn’t stop being all between friends.