Argentinian amateur golfer Mateo Pulcini celebrated a crucial birdie on the 18th hole at The Open Championship by cupping his ears to the crowd, a gesture mirroring Enzo Fernandez's celebration during Argentina's World Cup semi-final victory over England.
Pulcini, the sole Argentinian competitor in the field at Royal Birkdale, sank a 40-foot putt on the final hole. Despite the provocative nature of his celebration, he received substantial cheers from the grandstand. A television commentator remarked, "They haven't quite worked out where he's from."
"I was expecting a few boos on the 1st tee, and they came, some of them," Pulcini stated with a smile. "There were almost none, but I love that, I really don't mind. It's part of the fun."
He described the crowd as "great" and acknowledged their cheers despite his own opening round score of five-over par. "My score wasn't good at all. I wasn't having a good day, but this on 18 make it a little bit better."
Pulcini explained that the celebration was spontaneous, inspired by sinking the long putt. "I wasn't even going to put football with golf, but then I made a 40-footer so I was pretty excited, and that came to my mind, and I did it."
When asked which provided a better feeling, his putt or Argentina's World Cup victory, Pulcini unequivocally chose the latter. "Enzo and Lautauro’s goals, for sure. Today wasn't being the best, so I'll take those two goals!"
Pulcini, who wore an Argentina flag on his cap, watched the World Cup match while participating in an asado, an Argentinian barbecue. He shared the common viewing experience of England's performance. "I didn't miss a single second of it," he said. "It was a great game. At the beginning it was like England was having a good game. And then once England made the goal, they bucked up, like Argentina was doing the same thing last match. They scored goal, and then they started defending, but you cannot defend against Messi."