Antonio Safa Captures Mexican Amateur

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Incoming University of Missouri golfer Antonio Safa fired a 15-under par 269 (70-66-65-68) to win the Mexican Amateur at the Club Campestre de Torreón on June 9-12.

Competing in his hometown of Torreón, Mexico, Safa captured his biggest victory to date in front of friends and family. He claimed the title by three strokes over Jose Dibildox Hassaf

“It was really special for me,” Safa said. “Winning in my home club with all of my people was really special. This win means a lot for me because I lost a really close friend on Friday and this win was for him.”

With his win, Safa earns a spot in this summer’s U.S. Amateur at the Arcola Country Club in Paramus, N.J., on August 15-21. He also earns a local qualifying exemption for the 2023 US Open and will advance directly to final qualifying next year.

Safa, who entered Sunday’s final round tied atop the leaderboard, carded three birdies over the first six holes to take control. While plenty was riding on the line, the 18-year-old found a way to escape the pressure in the final 18 holes.

“Honestly, I was not that nervous,” he said. “I was pretty calm all the time and I had some early birdies that allowed me to get a small lead and that helped calm me more.  During the round, I was not thinking about what was at stake – I was thinking only on winning.”

The future Tiger finished under par in all four rounds of the amateur with 22 total birdies on the weekend. 13 of those came in the second and third rounds as Safa made his move up the leaderboard with rounds of 5-under 66 and 6-under 65, respectively.

“Everything was on,” Safa said of his play this weekend, “but my chipping around the green and how I was hitting the ball were both the best. I hit a lot of greens, and close to the pins, which allowed me to birdie a lot of the holes, but whenever I missed the green, I had a lot of confidence in my chipping. Making the amount of birdies that I did this past weekend definitely boosts my confidence heading into future tournaments.” 

The victory at the Mexican Amateur continues a torrid start to the 2022 calendar year for Safa. In his first six tournaments of the year, the soon-to-be Tiger has a pair of wins and four top five finishes. Safa has finished top-30 in each of his five amateur events this year.

“My game is at its best right now,” the…