Argentines Marzilio and Fernández de Oliveira, runners-up in the Latin America Amateur Championship

• Eugenio Martinez Ruhl

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  is a writer and editor for ESPNdeportes.com.

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SPECIAL ENVOY — The ball travels about three meters, ‘gaps’ the final hole of the Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) and is thrown to the right. An “uhhhh” is heard from the public sector and, standing on the green, Argentine Vicente Marzilio clutches his head. He knows that the possibility of forcing a playoff for the title against the representative of the Cayman Islands, Aaron Jarvis, who on his side celebrates with a shout, has just vanished.

Marzilio was the only one who, at this time of day, could catch up with Jarvis. And to do that he had to hit that eagle putt. Not easy. However, he only lacked a share of luck to achieve it.

Jarvis kept the title thanks to a round of 69 hits (-3) for an accumulated 7 shots under par, and Marzilio shared second place with his compatriot Mateo Fernández de Oliveira (who minutes before had also missed a putt by centimeters). on the last hole that would have classified him to a playoff, although he did not know it at the time), the Mexican Santiago De la Fuente and the Brazilian Fred Biondi.

The final round on the Teeth of the Dog course was played under a leaden sky for the first time this week. Humidity prevailed and there was little wind, even in the complicated and colorful holes that overlook the Atlantic Ocean.

From early on, the song of the birds seemed to herald rain in the countryside. But the water never came and the players were able to enjoy good conditions for golf. That allowed low scores, and the best of those who were fighting for the title was precisely that of Fernández de Oliveira, who signed a great card of 68 (-4).

It did not reach him by very little, but the Argentine showed that he is in an excellent moment, since he had just won the South American Amateur Open last week in Ecuador.

A fantastic week for the Argentines closed in Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic, as their eight representatives passed the qualifying cut on Friday; four of them finished in the top-12 (in addition to the runners-up, both Abel Gallegos and Segundo Oliva Pinto finished 12th), and six in the top-20 (Aram Yenidjeian was 19th and Juan Martín Loureiro, 20th).

By winning the title, Jarvis earned the right to play two professional world majors in 2022: the Masters in Augusta and the British Open in St Andrews. Marzilio and Fernández de Oliveira achieved, with their runner-up finish, direct entry to the final qualifying phases for the British Open and the US Open Championship.

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