LA ROMANA, Dominican.– The ball of a putt from the Argentine Vicente Marzilio dramatically surrounded the 18th hole of the playing field of dog teeth. After that unfortunate mistake, the cries of victory were heard on one side of the green. Aaron Jarvis (-7 out of Cayman Islands, conquered the seventh Latin America Amateur Champinship (LAAC), en Dominican Republic. The golfer from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas and a native of a country that has little golf tradition broke the odds and kept the trophy. And also, with the realization of a dream: berths at the Augusta Masters and the British Open.
Also the Argentina had a place on the podium. Mateo Fernández de Oliveira (-6) and Vicente Marzilio (-6), who did not hide his sadness at the end, hung up silver medals on the chest. The two, who were expectant until the closing, are also players in university golf in the United States, which was almost a second winner in the LAAC.
The bright smile. The trophy on the table. And the extra joy of having received a bag of food after the tiring last lap. Jarcis told what golf is like in the Cayman Islands, that British territory located on the Caribbean Sea that encompasses three islands near Jamaica and Cuba. “When I was a kid there wasn’t much golf. We were few and the federation of our country decided to implement a plan for juniors”, Jarcis told THE NATION. “In this way there began to be more golfers, who began to play tournaments outside the country. Among them, of course, the LAAC, which was one of the great championships in which I wanted to participate”, added the champion, who studies and competes in Las Vegas, with the help of the University of Nevada.
“I saw my brother play and I followed him. That’s how I started. Later I went to the United States and there I improved my golf,” added the 22-year-old champion, who was enthusiastic about the possibility that this triumph will influence his country: “I think this will help a lot so that several start playing ”.
The Argentine performance in general was very good, but this year, unlike 2021, did not see any Albiceleste winner. There were two representatives on the podium, and that may not be enough for the aspirations. Vicente Marzilio could not contain his tears after realizing that he had lost the opportunity to go to a playoff with Jarcis by missing that putt on the third stroke of the last hole. The ball passed almost over the 18th hole; That’s how close the native of Buenos Aires was to deriving a heads up for the trophy and qualifications for the two majors.
“I am leaving with a great learning, and also with the fact that you can fight until the end. On the last hole I had the opportunity to get into the playoff. I am playing well and the time will come for one of these important tournaments to come to my side”, expressed, with some anger, the student from the University of North Texas to THE NATION.
The other national golfer who occupied the podium was Mateo Fernández de Oliveira, author of one of the last two best Argentine cards of the contest, with 68 shots. A strong contender before the competition and perched among the top picks all four days, he finished 4-under, one shot behind Jarvis. A player from the University of Arkansas, he agreed: “Deep down I know I put up a good fight, I put myself in position. I am happy with the balance of the LAAC”, he commented. Fred Biondi, from Brazil, and Santiago de la Fuente, from Mexico, were the other two competitors who shared second place, with 282 total hits.
The great results obtained by their referents reflect the important role it plays in the development of college golf in the United States. Jarvis, Marzilio and Fernández de Oliveira are products of that field. “U.S They teach us a lot about playing, taking advantage of tournaments, not giving away blows and wanting to win. That’s what college is all about and it makes you better all the time”, said Marzilio, who studies Psychology in North Texas and wants to become a professional in this sport when he graduates.
Fernández de Oliveira recounted his experience: “I highly recommend it, although I think it’s not for everyone. To me it opened my head a lot not only in sports. Luckily, I adapted very well to another culture, to live alone, to do my own thing, to make decisions for myself. All that made me mature”. And there is a third Argentine who is in this situation, Second Olive Pinto, who was in the greatest fight in the first days but suffered a bad last lap. “The university prepares very well. We compete against the best in the world, that tests us all the time and the results appear”, affirmed the Cordovan.
The other Argentines
In addition to two golfers on the podium, Argentina had positive performances in the rest of its representatives. They all passed the qualifying cut and Abel Gallegos, the defending champion, came to fight very high. Finally he was in 12th place, with -1, along with Oliva Pinto. Aram Yenidjeian was 19th, with +2, and Juan Martín Loureiro, who achieved the other best closing lap, with 68, followed him in 20th place, with +3. They completed the Cordoba Andy Schönbaum, with +11, and Manuel Lozada, with +13.
