Razorback Quartet Set for Latin America Amateur

Mike Cawood January 11, 2023

FAYETTEVILLE – A quartet of Razorback men’s golfers – Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira, Manuel Lozada, Segundo Oliva Pinto and Julian Perico – will compete at the 2023 Latin America Amateur Championship this week. The 72-hole championship will be held Jan. 12-15 at the Grand Reserve Golf Club in Puerto Rico (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico).

Not only is the LAAC one of the top amateur events in the world, but the winner will also receive:

An invitation to compete in the Masters Tournament
An exemption into the 151st Open Championship
An exemption into The Amateur Championship, conducted by The R&A
An exemption into the U.S. Amateur Championship and any other USGA amateur championship for which he is eligible
An exemption into the final stages of qualifying for the 2023 U.S. Open

Three of four Razorbacks (Fernandez de Oliveira, Perico and Oliva Pinto) have made a run at the title in the past while the other (Lozada) is making just his second appearance at the LAAC.

Last year, Fernandez de Oliveira was runner-up and Perico was the leader after two rounds with a record score in relation in to par of 9-under-par. Also, all four Razorbacks were among the top 15 after two rounds. Perico would end up tied for ninth and Oliva Pinto tied for 12th while Lozada, who was playing in just his second event after an injury suffered in August of 2022, finished tied for 43rd.

Perico is the most experienced Razorback at the LAAC. This will be his sixth appearance at the Championship, and he has three top 10 finishes including T5 in 2017, T6 in 2020 and T9 in 2022.

Fernandez de Oliveira will be playing in his fifth LAAC and has three top 20 finishes to his credit. Oliva Pinto in playing in his third LAAC. IN addition to his 12th-place finish last season, Oliva Pinto finished eighth in 2020.

Former Razorback Alvaro Ortiz (Mexico) won the 2019 LAAC and went on to make the cut at The Masters and finished as the second-lowest amateur in the field.

RD 1 TEE TIMES (local time)
8:05 am – Hole 1 – Segundo Oliva Pinto
12:10 pm – Hole 1: Manuel Lozada
12:35 pm – Hole 10: Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira and Julian Perico

Razorbacks at the LAAC
Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira (Argentina) 2018: T19; 2019: T38; 2020: T19; 2022: T2
Manuel Lozada (Argentina) 2022: T43
Segundo Oliva Pinto (Argentina) 2020: 8; 2022: T12
Julian Perico (Peru) 2017: T4; 2018: T43; 2019: T25; 2020: T6; 2022: T9

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