Mateo Pulcini turned one long putt into the moment of the day at The Open. After sinking a 40-foot effort on Thursday, the 25-year-old Argentinian copied Enzo Fernández's celebration, a nod to the footballer’s equaliser for Argentina against England in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final.
The reaction at Royal Birkdale was notable because it came with real concern about crowd behaviour. The R&A had introduced a new Open code of conduct warning fans they could be thrown out for bad behaviour, and there had been fears of a repeat of the sort of trouble seen at the Ryder Cup last year and at the US Open in Shinnecock Hills last month. Instead, Pulcini said the crowd treated him well.
A celebration with context
Pulcini was the only Argentinian in this year’s Open field, and he arrived at Birkdale with the Argentina flag on his driver’s head cover, cap and shoes. That made the celebration even more understandable. He said he loved the moment and did not mind the reaction from the gallery, adding that the fans were “something spectacular” and that they were cheering for him as well.
He also explained that football was already on his mind before the shot. Pulcini said he would not have linked golf and football, but after making the long putt he was excited enough to go with the Enzo gesture. He even said, “I told him we were winning 2-1,” a reference to the Argentina-England moment that inspired the celebration.
Positive crowd, not chaos
The atmosphere at Royal Birkdale stood out for the right reasons. Robert MacIntyre said The Open crowd is the best every time, noting that good shots draw applause and that he did not hear the kind of boisterous shouting that can follow players around at other events. In his view, it was “very much just golf and people enjoying golf.”
That made Pulcini’s celebration feel like a test of the moment rather than a flashpoint. He finished his round five over par, but the score did not overshadow the scene. For one day, the Open had a rare mix of football flavour and golf appreciation, and the reaction showed that the crowd could lean into the fun without crossing the line.
