‘Part of the fun’: Mateo Pulcini feels followers’ love regardless of dangerous Fernández celebration | The Open

After making one of many longest putts of the primary day, a snaking 40-footer on the final, the one Argentinian on this 12 months’s Open subject launched into a decidedly dangerous celebration.

First Mateo Pulcini raised his hand within the air. Then he cupped them to his ears to emulate the way in which his hero, Enzo Fernández, had celebrated after scoring the equaliser in opposition to England in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final.

If something was going to tempt the 70,000 followers at Royal Birkdale to violate the R&A’s new Open code of conduct, which warns them they are going to be thrown for unhealthy behaviour, it was this. But there have been solely cheers not jeers – and even a solitary cry of “Vamos!”

Admittedly Pulcini, a 25-year-old who certified for the Open after profitable January’s Latin America Amateur Championship, did get a couple of boos when his identify was introduced on the primary tee. But after ending his spherical 5 over par he was all smiles as he praised the gang’s behaviour. “I love it,” he mentioned. “I really don’t mind. It’s part of the fun. The fans are something spectacular. They were cheering for me as well.”

Asked which felt higher, holing a 40-ft putt or Fernández’s aim entering into, Pulcini chuckled once more. “Enzo and Lautaro’s goals, for sure. Today wasn’t the best, so I’ll take those two goals.

Pulcini also confirmed that he had been treated well by the English players and smiled as he recollected a chat with Matt Wallace before the game. “I told him we were winning 2-1,” he mentioned, smiling. “I need to cross paths with him. I was right.”

However Pulcini, who arrived at Birkdale this week sporting the Argentina flag on his driver’s head cowl, cap and sneakers, refused to get entangled when requested in regards to the staff holding up a banner that learn: “Las Malvinas son Argentinas.”

“I saw it but I don’t want to talk politics, just golf and football,” Pulcini mentioned. “I wasn’t even going to put football with golf, but then I made a 40-footer so I was excited.”

Before the Open started there had been fears of a repeat of the gang misbehaviour that greeted the European staff finally 12 months’s Ryder Cup and Wyndham Clark on the US Open in Shinnecock Hills in June. But thus far Royal Birkdale feels extra like a vicarage tea occasion than Bethpage Black.

One golfer that appreciated the extra constructive vibes was Robert MacIntyre, who had spent the Ryder Cup enduring taunts together with: “Eat another burger Bobby?” and “When you starting Ozempic?”

After taking pictures three below par in his opening spherical, MacIntyre mentioned: “The Open crowd is the best every time,” he mentioned. “If you hit a wedge on to 20 feet, there’s applause. When someone’s had a decent shot, there’s applause.

“I didn’t hear one shout off the tee box of ‘get in the hole,’ or all the daft shouts you get. It was very much just golf and people enjoying golf.”

It was actually not a bearpit. The most contentious factor Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau noticed as they performed collectively on Thursday was a person in a home made T-shirt exhibiting a mug shot of Tiger Woods standing by the fourth tee.

Perhaps the muted response was right down to English heads being a little bit sore after the defeat to Argentina the night time earlier than. Then once more, Thursday on the Open is just not when crowds go feral.

However Tom Watson, who’s again at Royal Birkdale 43 years on from his fifth and ultimate Open Championship, believes golf must be cautious because the “awful” behaviour on the Ryder Cup and Shinnecock Hills is just not going away.

“We have an issue with betting,” he warned. “What really concerns me is that somebody is going to be on a cell phone like this. He’s got a betting app like this. He’s got this guy out here. I’m going to bet that he misses this putt. He clicks his $100 bet and then yells in the guy’s back swing. That’s what concerns me.”

Watson’s resolution? To challenge an Augusta-style ban on cellphones, which does really feel like overkill on condition that at Birkdale most spectators have been utilizing their telephones to take footage of their heroes. That isn’t unreasonable, particularly with tickets costing over £100.

That mentioned, Watson did stress that he believes that almost all of followers nonetheless adhere to the sport’s conventional values of respect – together with the gamers.

“The kids see the pros coming off the 18th green, taking their caps off, shaking their hands, whether the guy just beat his brains out or not,” mentioned Watson. “That’s still part of the game. I think that’s a really good image for professional golf to show that.”

And so, fortunately, was the nice and cozy response of England followers to Pulcini’s joyous celebration on the final too.