Mateo Fernández de Oliveira picks up pace, Fortinet Cup top 10 within his grasp

Playing stellar golf last weekend, Mateo Fernández de Oliveira flirted with the come-from-behind win at the North America Swing opening event in Victoria, British Columbia. Firing back-to-back 63s while making only one bogey on the final 50 holes, the 24-year-old played the last two days four shots better than anyone else. He finished only one shot behind tournament winner Frederik Kjettrup, claiming runner-up honors for his best finish in 11 months as a pro.

“A big part of the game last week was off the tee. I think I hit my driver pretty straight, so that was a huge thing. I've been putting and hitting my wedges well too. I think all of that stuff worked out really well. It's been that good for the last month,” said the Buenos Aires, Argentina, native whose impressive weekend run included three eagles and nine birdies.

A performance like the one he had at Uplands Golf Club had been long anticipated for a player with his accolades. Coming off a stellar 2023 season in which he won the Latin America Amateur Championship to earn exemptions into the Masters, U.S. Open and The Open Championship, Fernández de Oliveira made the Palmer Cup’s International Team and led a University of Arkansas team that shattered school records to reach the NCAA Championship. He also finished his collegiate career as No. 16 in the 2023 PGA TOUR University Ranking.

Starting the PGA TOUR Americas inaugural season among the players to watch, it took him time to get going. Having missed two cuts while recording only one round in the 60s in his first four starts, he held an unflattering 91st spot on the Fortinet Cup. Things finally turned his way at the Kia Open in Ecuador, where a tie for eighth helped him lock up his spot among the top 60 players who advanced to the North America Swing.

“Last month, during the break, I really paid attention to the mental aspect of the game,” Fernández de Oliveira said about his main adjustment heading into a stage of the season that will determine the 10 players who will secure 2025 Korn Ferry Tour exempt status. “I added someone to my team that helped me work a lot on trying to stay in the moment. During rounds, the focus has been on not getting ahead of myself and not dwelling on mistakes, which is something I've done in the past. I think that was a major aspect last week.”

With that mindset, he kept his head down Sunday, keeping himself unaware of any scores until late in the round. “While playing 16th, I took a look at the leaderboard located by the 18th green. That was the first time I wanted to take a peak. I did a great job keeping myself unplugged from everything that was happening around me and just staying aggressive,” he said about a key part of his game plan on a day he started six shots off the lead.

Earning 300 Fortinet Cup points with the runner-up finish in Victoria, Fernández de Oliveira enters the ATB Classic at Northern Bear Golf Club ranked 12th on Tour. He is only 54 points outside the top 10 with nine tournaments left to play in the race that will culminate with the Fortinet Cup Championship, Sept. 5-8.

“This is a new week, a new challenge, a new test of golf," he said. "I'm just trying to get my mindset ready to roll on Thursday ... I just feel my goals are to keep doing the same in terms of just staying present, trying to take as much joy as I can, and enjoying the moment as much as I can.”