Mateo Pulcini earned the biggest victory of his amateur career Sunday, capturing the 2026 Latin America Amateur Championship in a playoff at Lima Golf Club in Lima, Peru.

The Argentine finished regulation play at five under par 275 after closing with a two under 68, matching Missouri senior Virgilio Paz Valdes at the top of the leaderboard. The championship was decided in a two hole playoff, where Pulcini converted key par putts to secure the title.

Pulcini forced the playoff by saving par on the par four 17th after Paz Valdes birdied the hole to tie the lead. He followed with a steady par on the closing hole to advance to extra holes. In the playoff, Pulcini navigated trouble off the tee on both holes, keeping the ball in play and capitalizing on mistakes from Paz Valdes to clinch the win.

With the victory, Pulcini earned exemptions into the 2026 Masters Tournament at Augusta National, the U.S. Open, and The Open Championship. He also secured spots in the U.S. Amateur at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania and The Amateur Championship in Europe.

Pulcini previously competed collegiately at Oklahoma Christian before spending the 2023 to 2024 season at Arkansas. The win marks a significant milestone in his amateur career and places him among the recent Latin America Amateur champions to advance onto golf’s biggest stages.

Source
Golfweek