FAYETTEVILLE — Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira is doing his first appearance at The Masters up right.
The University of Arkansas senior, who qualified for the 88-man field by winning the Latin America Amateur Championship in January, has rented a house in Augusta, Ga., and friends, family and UA Coach Brad McMakin are among those in town to support him.
Fernandez de Oliveira, a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, is one of just a few men from his country to play in the event.
“I believe every single kid in the world grew up hoping to play in the Masters one day,” Fernandez de Oliveira said last week. “For me, growing up Angel Cabrera won it in 2009 and he lost in a playoff in 2013.
“So I’m very familiar with the tournament. It’s one of those that I watch every single year, the second week of April. Just being there it looks so much different from TV. It’s very exciting, so I’m looking forward to this opportunity.”
Fernandez de Oliveira, 23, had been to Augusta National three other times, once with OVERSET FOLLOWS:his Razorback teammates and two other times with members of his advisory team to get to know the course.
“I did some good work on just trying to get to know the course, all the good angles to play the course and to somehow solve the puzzle that is Augusta National,” he said. “I think the course is great. It’s a tough course. It’s going to be a great test for me. But I think if you’re smart and I just can be myself there, I can do a good job.”
Fernandez de Oliveira and Taylor Moore will be the eighth and ninth former Razorbacks to participate in The Masters, joining, in chronological order, R.H. Sikes, Miller Barber, John Daly, David Lingmerth, Austin Cook, Andrew Landry and Alvaro Ortiz.
Moore qualified for the field by winning the Valspar Championship on March 19, as the Edmond, Okla., native held off Jordan Spieth and Adam Schenk for his first PGA Tour win.
Fernandez de Oliveira will tee off at 8:48 a.m. Central on Thursday with Seamus Power and Bubba Watson.
Moore’s group with Aldrich Potgieter and Charl Schwarzel will tee off at 10:18 a.m. Central.
Fernandez de Oliveira said he knew the stakes when he was on the brink of winning the Latin America title at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Puerto Rico.
“Walking down the fairway on 18 even before finishing the LAAC, I knew I was going to play all these majors,” he said. “I mean, it hits me every day. It motivates me every day to wake up, go to work and to just practice and get better every day to get 100% ready for the tournaments.”
Fernandez de Oliveira also received exemptions to the U.S. Open in Los Angeles, the British Open at Royal Liverpool and the U.S. and British amateurs.
He booked up his practice time this week with a little help from McMakin, who got him in touch with Moore. Those two were scheduled to play 18 with Talor Gooch, formerly of Oklahoma State, on Monday, and on Tuesday, he planned to swing a practice round with Joaquin Niemann of Chile and other Latino friends. Fernandez de Oliveira’s winning score of 23-under par 265 at the LAAC beat the 72-hole record formerly held by Niemann (2018).
“Niemann is a cool guy,” Fernandez de Oliveira said. “He always helps us out with anything we need. He was very nice to me.
“On Wednesday I’m going to try to get some holes in with [Collin] Morikawa in the morning. That’s the plan as of now.”
Morikawa finished fifth in last year’s Masters, Gooch was tied for 14th and Niemann tied for 35th.
Argentina Ruben Yorio will be on Fernandez de Oliveira’s bag, giving him a connection to when Cabrera claimed the famed green jacket in 2009.
“He lived there some moments he will never forget,” Fernandez de Oliveira said. “He’s got the experience there … and just having him on the bag and him knowing what the situation is going to be like if we are getting in contention is a huge thing for me.”
Fernandez de Oliveira said he’s fully committed to playing with his Arkansas teammates in next week’s Lewis Chitengwa Memorial in Charlottesville, Va., and through postseason play before turning pro in July.