With 156 players from 18 countries, the 116th Argentina Golf Open raises the curtain in search of the champion

The Nordelta Golf Club will be the scene this weekend of 116th Argentina Openbetter known as open republicwhich will raise the curtain on the 2022/23 season of the circuit PGA Latin America. The competition, the most important in the region, will be convened 156 players from 18 countriesincluding 50 Argentines, including professionals and amateurs, led by Jorge Fernandez Valdeschampion in the last edition.

The winner of the tournament – which will be held between this Thursday and Sunday – will win, in addition to the trophy, a very special prize: an invitation to play the British openthe oldest Major in the sport, July 20-23 next year, at Royal Liverpool, England.

Fernández Valdés, with a card to play in 2023 onwards Korn Ferry Tour (formerly American Challenge Circuit, second level of the PGA), will try to defend the title conquered last year, when he scored 277 shots, eleven under par, three less than his guards, the South Korean Cho Rak Hyun and the French Jeremy Gandon.

Cordovan also wants to add his fifth crown on the Latin American circuit, in which he also won the Mexico Open in 2013, the one in Chile in 2014 and the one in Brazil in 2016. And he will try to win once again the qualification for the British Grand Slam , in which he had the pleasure of debuting last July – he didn’t make it – to crown a dream.

“It was an incredible thing to play at the Open St Andrew’s, the cradle of golf, with the best players in the world. It’s a very big event, I’ve learned a lot and it’s been a good experience,” commented Fernández Valdés on Monday, presenting the event. “It’s been a fantastic year for me. After winning the Open I had a boost in my confidence which helped me approach 2022 with more composure. Luckily, I managed to stay within the five and got the del card Korn Ferry Tour. I arrive very well for this week, the Open is the most important tournament of the year”.

andre romero Y Fabiano Gomez, two expert national golfers, will also perform at the traditional tournament. The pigutitle holder PGA extension (New Orleans in 2008) and two from European tour (which he won in Germany in 2007 and 2017), finished second in the Argentine race in 2010. Meanwhile, the man from Chaco, winner of two titles in the most important circuit (in Memphis in 2015 and in Hawaii in 2016, will go the fourth of the PGA Latinoamérica, after the three he added to the Argentina Classic in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Augustus Nunez It will be another of the Argentines to compete in the traditional race. The 30-year-old from Tucuman has amassed three titles on the Latin American circuit, winning one in Nicaragua in 2016 and two in 2019, the Ecuador Open and the Shell championship in Miami. This year, the good performance of him in the Korn Ferry Tour allowed him to secure his card for the PGA Tour, on which he made his debut in September and played in seven tournaments (he made the cut in one, the Bermuda Championshipat the end of October, in which he finished 67th).

The seventh oldest in the world also appears in the list of national golfers registered for the tournament Alan Wagner, Julian Etulain, nelson ledesma, Alexander Tosti, Thomas Cocha, Emilio “Puma” Dominguez Y Abel Gallegoone of the young Argentines with the greatest projection for the future.

Among the international players are 10 of those who finished in the top 20 of the 2022 season standings of the Latin American circuit, the Total play cup. they are Chilean Christopher Del Solar, who guided this classification; the Americans veil kevin, austin hitt Y Matt Ryan; the Guatemalan Jose Toledo; the French Gandon and the South Korean Cho, who accompanied Fernández Valdés last year; the mexicans Raul Pereda And Isidro Benitez and the Dutch Rowin Carone.

“The Argentine Open is a championship that offers players many opportunities and the champion award to be able to play in the Open is a clear example of this,” he commented. Andres Schoenbaumpresident of Argentine Golf Association.

The Nordelta Golf Club will receive for the fifth time – and for the second consecutive year – the action of the tournament, which will distribute a prize pool of 175,000 dollars.

In that field, designed by the American jack nicholasconsidered the best golfer in history, and inaugurated in 2008- were crowned, in addition to Fernández Valdés, the Argentines Caesar rib (2009) and Angelo Cabrera (2012) and the Colombian Marcello Rosa.

The route is one of the most demanding in our country, with numerous dog pawswide waste bunkers (extensions of “wild” sand which occupy the sides of some holes and replace the rough or tall grass) and various siphons. The difficulty of the course can increase with the wind, which could be an influential factor in the final score.

In addition to the title and prize money, professionals will have the chance to win a Ford Kuga HEVwhich will be in the hands of the first player to hole at 1 on the par 3 on 16.

Also, the prestigious Emilio Pereyra Iraola cup contested by amateur players, who took the Argentine last year vincenzo marzilio.