Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira finishes second-place last year. He leads the Latin America Amateur Championship with 18 holes left in record time
It’s safe to say Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira doesn’t want to leave 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.
With 18 holes remaining, the Argentinian has seized control. Fernandez de Oliveira went low on moving day, sparked by a stretch of five birdies in as many holes on the back nine to shoot 9-under 63 and take a four-shot advantage to Sunday’s final round at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Puerto Rico. He is now at 18 under for tournament. He leads second-round leader Luis Carrera who hails form Mexico and is a fifth year senior at UCF.
Fernandez de Oliveira’s 18-under total is a 54-hole LAAC record. 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. He’s tied with Vicente Marzillo, who shot 6 under on Saturday.
Fernandez de Oliveira shot the second-best round, by two shots. But the highlight was when he birdied Nos. 11-15 to move into the lead. He ended on a high note by birdieing 18th par-4 to complete his bogey-free round.
The 2023 Masters, Open Championship, and U.S. Open will be granted to the winner. The winner will be fully exempted from the 128th Amateur Championship. Amateur Championship and any other USGA Amateur Championship for which he may be eligible.
The final stages of qualifying for U.S. Open or Open Championship are exempted from the runner-up.