Segundo Oliva Pinto Surges to the Top at Latin America Amateur with Clutch 64
LIMA, Peru - With the final round looming and the leaderboard crowded, Argentina’s Segundo Oliva Pinto picked the perfect moment to deliver his best golf of the week. A sizzling third-round 64 vaulted the 26-year-old into the solo lead at the 2026 Latin America Amateur Championship at Lima Golf Club, putting him one step closer to the title he’s been chasing for years.
Oliva Pinto, who came into Saturday’s round trailing the leaders, caught fire early and never looked back. He poured in seven birdies - four on the front nine, three more on the back - en route to a six-under performance that now has him sitting at five under for the tournament. That’s good enough for a one-shot edge over Brazil’s Eduardo Matarazzo and fellow Argentine Andy Schonbaum heading into Sunday.
“I was pretty far behind when I started,” Oliva Pinto said after the round, reflecting on a day where everything seemed to click. “I was trying to pull my thought into making good swings and doing my own thing.
Some days, you pull that off and it's a good result. Today that was the case.”
And what a result it was. Oliva Pinto came out sharp, carding birdies on Nos. 2, 5, 7, and 8 before a hiccup at the ninth - his only bogey of the day.
But he bounced back with a clean, composed back nine, highlighted by a three-birdie burst on holes 12 through 14. He then closed strong, scrambling for par on the final two holes - widely regarded as the toughest stretch on the course.
“17, 18 was pretty cool,” he said with a grin. “Getting those two up and downs felt pretty nice.”
This is familiar territory for Oliva Pinto. He’s making his sixth appearance at the Latin America Amateur and has never finished outside the top 15.
Last year, he finished tied for third after contending deep into the final round on home soil. A former standout at the University of Arkansas, he also earned co-medalist honors at the 2024 U.S.
Mid-Amateur at Kinloch Golf Club. That pedigree is showing up once again - and this time, he’s in prime position to finally break through.
But it won’t come easy.
Right behind him is Eduardo Matarazzo, who’s playing arguably the steadiest golf of anyone in the field. After opening with a rough 74, the Brazilian has responded with back-to-back rounds of 66 to climb into the hunt.
He’s now just one shot back and playing with the kind of momentum that could carry him to history. No Brazilian has ever won the Latin America Amateur - Matarazzo has a real shot to change that.
Andy Schonbaum also sits at four under, though his path to contention took a few more twists. The 34-year-old held the lead for much of Saturday’s round before a double bogey at the par-4 11th knocked him off track. He regrouped with birdies at 13 and 14, but a blocked tee shot on 18 led to another double, dropping him back into a tie for second.
Still, Schonbaum remains firmly in the mix and could become the third Argentine to win this championship - but he’ll need to tighten up the mistakes if he wants to keep pace with Oliva Pinto and Matarazzo on Sunday.
As for Oliva Pinto, he’s not looking too far ahead, but there’s no hiding what’s at stake. After an over-par opening round, he’s played his way into the driver’s seat with 18 holes to go. Now it’s about staying locked in, one swing at a time.
“I feel particularly good about having an opportunity tomorrow,” he said. “Being here is a really good position. I'm excited to see what's going to happen.”
So are we. With three players within a shot of the lead, and a potential slice of history on the line, Sunday at Lima Golf Club is shaping up to be a finish worth watching.