Argentine Amateur Pulcini Uses Fernández Celebration After Birdie at The Open

Argentine amateur Mateo Pulcini completed his first round at the Open Championship with a five-over-par 75 at Royal Birkdale after sinking a 40-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. He marked the shot by cupping both hands to his ears in the celebration used by Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernández. Pulcini is the only Argentine in the field and is making his Open debut at age 25.

Argentina defeated England 2-1 in the World Cup semifinals in Atlanta on Wednesday, with Fernández scoring the late equalizer. Pulcini said he watched the entire match and the celebration came to mind after his putt dropped. "I didn't want to do anything to make fun of the match that you guys lost because the tournament here has been unbelievable," Pulcini said.

"That celebration came from a 40-foot putt. " Pulcini said he expected boos on the first tee the morning after the match but received almost none. He added that the crowd cheered for him as well. "The score wasn't good at all, I wasn't having a good day, but this on 18 made it a little bit better," he said.