Manuel Merizalde, 45, one of three people tied for the lead at the Latin American Amateur
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Colombia’s Manuel Merizalde had five birdies in eight holes to shoot a 6-under 66 on Thursday in Latin America. There was a three-way tie for the lead after the first round of the Amateur Championship.
Peru’s Patrick Sparks and Guatemala’s Gabriel Palacios had a solid day at Pilar Golf Club, shooting 66s. The winner will receive an invitation to the Masters and an exemption to this year’s U.S. Open and British Open.
Merisalde stands out only because of her age. He’s 45, about two decades removed from playing in the World Cup with Camilo Villegas and playing at Brigham Young. He also doesn’t play golf as much as he used to.
“To be honest, I didn’t have high hopes. I’m 45 years old. I haven’t had much practice,” Merisalde said. “But sometimes it helps when you don’t have a lot of expectations, when you’re just going out and having a good time. The less you try, the better you’ll do.”
He works for a security company in Columbia and goes golfing on Friday afternoons. Sometimes he’s lucky enough to play or train twice a week.
But it worked for him at Pilar, where his only big mistake was a bogey on the par-5 10th.
Palacios had four straight birdies on the back nine, as the 19-year-old sophomore from Utah shot 31 on the back nine. Sparks made up for some missed shots with seven birdies and an eagle.
