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Alongside the FIFA World Cup, the Argentine Open, one of the most important golf tournaments, is also taking place.
Worldwide, countries are watching and cheering for their teams, but Argentina fans have two things to concentrate on. Argentina are big players in the World Cup most years as they are led by the legendary Lionel Messi.
It's a good time to be Argentinian with such great competition involving the country all happening right now.
Andrés Schonbaum, President of the Argentine Golf Association, said, according to the PGA Tour:
“This is a very particular year, as we will have an eye on the World Cup and another eye on the golf being played here at Nordelta Golf Club. Anyway, our focus is here, on a tournament with a great history and tradition that provides great opportunities for the players competing in the region.”
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Defending champion Jorge Fernandez-Valdes said:
“A spot in The Open is huge. My overall experience was spectacular. It was my first major, and my PGA Tour debut. It would be amazing to have an opportunity to do it all over again.”
American player Austin Hitt also loves playing in the Argentine Open:
“It’s great to be back. This is an awesome course. Arguably the best one we play all year. I think everybody is excited to be back, and (I) definitely feel more comfortable than I did last year when I showed up here, not knowing any Spanish or how to get around.”
The Argentine Open is the seventh-oldest open in golf behind the following:
- The Open Championship
- The India Open
- The U.S. Open
- The Australian Open
- The South African Open
- The RBC Canadian Open
The Argentine Open will begin on December 2.
History of Argentine Open
The Open is one of the most storied tournaments on the PGA Tour. It is part of PGA Tour Latinoamérical, a subdivision of the tour. It also was on the European Tour once in 2001.
After that, it unfortunately saw a significant decrease in prize money available because of the Argentina Financial Crisis.
Robert de Vincenzo won the tournament nine times, which is the most all-time. Vicente Fernandez won it eight times, as did Jose Jurado.
The first championship, all the way back in 1905, was taken by Mungo Park Jr. It has not missed a year since its debut then.
Since 2016, the winner of the event has been given an automatic spot in The Open Championship. So, while it's not as big as other PGA Tour events, it can be parlayed into a very nice appearance for one golfer.
How has Argentina fared at the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
While the Argentine Open is a big deal for the country, it's arguably not as big as the national football team.
Argentina have not won the World Cup since 1986, which was their second victory. They came close in 2014, finishing second. Argentine Open fans will undoubtedly be keeping their eyes on both a golf ball and a soccer ball this coming week.
