The English fans are still reeling from the defeat against Argentina on July 15. Despite leading 1-0 for the most part, two late goals from La Albiceleste sank the English ship at Atlanta Stadium, destroying England’s hopes of reaching their first World Cup final since 1966. The fans who flocked to Royal Birkdale today probably hoped to erase the bad memory with some good golf. Argentine amateur, Mateo Pulcini, said no.

He chose to rub salts into the wounds instead. Yesterday, Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez scored a screamer in the 85th minute from roughly 25 yards out. The ball blasted inside the net, leaving goalkeeper Jordan Pickford no chance but to gasp in disbelief. Of course, Lautaro Martinez, the super sub, would go on to hammer the last nail on England’s coffin, but it was Enzo’s celebration with his hands cupped around his ears that became the highlight of the night. Less than 24 hours later, Pulcini didn’t miss a beat after draining the final putt on the 18th.

As shared by Paul Hodowanic on X, the only Argentine in the field cupped his ear with his hands with the putter still in hand and looked at the English fans with a cheeky smile on his face. Sky Sports captured the moment and has quickly labeled it “recreation of the Fernandez gesture.” The fun tease came as he holed a birdie putt on the 18th green at Royal Birkdale. The witty gesture was met with more humor as the commentators chipped in to add, “They haven’t quite worked out where he’s from.” It might remind some of you of Wyndham Clark’s Canadian Open ribbing, and like Clark, Pulcini also clarified he didn’t mean any disrespect.

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“I didn’t want to do anything to make fun of the match that you guys lost because the tournament here has been unbelievable. That celebration came from a 40-foot putt. I was pretty excited, and that came to my mind, and I did it. I was expecting a few boos on the first tee, and they came, some of them, but there were almost none,” said the 25-year-old.

That said, Pulcini earned his first Open Championship start by winning the Latin America Amateur Championship in January. The dramatic victory also won him a spot at the Masters and the U.S. Open this year. At Augusta National, he shot rounds of 81 and 78 but missed his chance to tee up on the weekend. Furthermore, at Shinnecock Hills, the Arkansas graduate shot 7 over 77 in the second round but ended up missing the cut.

As Pulcini celebrates his birdie putt, the gesture also comes as a reminder that the governing bodies have also breathed a sigh of relief. Notably, R&A Chief Executive Mark Darbon had spent the week fielding questions about a potential clash with the FIFA World Cup Final if England won. The possibility of England moving to Sunday’s final would’ve pushed officials to shift the tee times 90 minutes earlier than expected. Darbon and the officials had told reporters ahead of the tournament that shifting the schedule would be “a great problem to have.”

However, now the schedule is expected to move as originally planned, finishing around 6:40 pm local time with no clash with football. But for Pulcini, if he makes the cut, he might have to rush to watch the final against Spain. Pulcini signed for 5-over on the first round.