​Despite being nearly dead last on the leaderboard, Mateo Pulcini was walking on air as he exited the 18th green at Royal Birkdale on Thursday.Pulcini made five bogeys and a double bogey en route to a 5-over 75 in the first round of the 2026 Open Championship. The scorecard was certainly nothing to celebrate, but less than 24 hours removed from his nation’s massive win on the pitch, the 25-year-old amateur from Argentina got to have a little fun with the English crowd.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMORE: Live updates from Thursday’s first round of the 2026 Open ChampionshipAfter rolling in a 40-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to cap off his day, Pulcini turned to the crowd with a big smile and put his hands behind his ears, replicating the celebration Enzo Fernandez hit when he tied the match for Argentina in the 85th minute of Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal vs. England — much to the chagrin of the Three Lions faithful in the gallery at Royal Birkdale.Argentina would go on to score again in the 92nd minute thanks to an assist from the great Lionel Messi, winning the match 2-1 and dashing England’s hopes of reaching its first World Cup final since 1966 in the blink of an eye. Pulcini might have been the only man within England’s borders celebrating.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”I didn’t miss a single second [of the match],” Pulcini said after his round Thursday. “We had a barbecue. We watched it all … [England] were doing good, and then they started defending, but you cannot defend against Messi. He’s unbelievable.”Pulcini couldn’t have been surprised, though. A Sky Sports reporter asked Pulcini for a prediction prior to Wednesday’s match. His answer?”Argentina, 2-1. No penalty shootout.”Nailed it.Pulcini — who won the Latin America Amateur Championship in January to earn his spot in the field at The Open — will now try to channel some of his national team’s energy with a comeback of his own. He’ll need a good score Friday to make the cut. But if he doesn’t, at least he has something to look forward to on Sunday, as Argentina takes on Spain in a bid for back-to-back wins in the World Cup final.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”It’s going to be a really tough game,” Pulcini said. “I thought France was going to win this, and then Spain controlled all the game. It was unbelievable how they played. They’re insanely good.”1 / 5Matthew Baldwin tees off on the first hole on day one of the The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on July 16, 2026 in Southport, England.(Andrew Redington/Getty Images)As for his week at Royal Birkdale, Pulcini is soaking it all in. This is his third major start of the year as a result of his LAAC win. He failed to make the weekend at both the Masters and the U.S. Open. He could be headed toward another missed cut this week, but the result is just a small part of the experience for an amateur.”I’m really grateful for this year,” Pulcini said. “What LAAC has given to the winner, it’s the best gi