Argentine amateur golfer Mateo Pulcini taunted England fans at The Open by replicating Enzo Fernandez's ear-cupping celebration after sinking a long birdie putt on the 18th hole at Royal Birkdale. The gesture came just hours after Argentina defeated England 2-1 in the World Cup semi-final, with Fernandez scoring the winning goal.
Revenge on the 18th Green
Pulcini, 25, received light-hearted boos from English fans at the first tee, referencing the Three Lions' exit. He responded in style on the final hole, draining a 40-foot putt. As cheers erupted, he cupped both hands to his ears, mimicking Fernandez's celebration. BBC commentator Andrew Cotter remarked: 'They love him despite everything, let's just say everything. They haven't quite worked out where he's from.'
Amateur's Good-Humored Reaction
Pulcini admitted the celebration came 'straight to my mind' as the ball dropped. 'I didn't want to make fun of the match you guys lost because the tournament here has been unbelievable,' he said. 'That celebration came from a 40-foot putt. I was pretty excited, and that came to my mind, and I did it. I wasn't thinking of doing anything.'
On his reception at the first tee, he added: 'I was expecting a few boos, and they came, some of them, but there were almost none. I love it. I really don’t mind. It’s part of the fun. People were being great. The fans are spectacular. They were cheering for me 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.'
World Cup Enthusiasm
Pulcini revealed he watched the entire semi-final despite his early tee-time. 'It was a great game. At the beginning it was like England was having a good game. But once England scored the goal, Argentina did the same thing they did in the last match. England started defending, but you cannot defend against Messi. He’s unbelievable.'
Argentina will face Spain in the final on Sunday. Pulcini, who shot an opening-round 75 to sit T131, plans to stay at Birkdale regardless. 'It’s going to be a really tough game. I thought France was going to win this, and then Spain controlled the game. It was unbelievable how they played. They’re insanely good.'
