Armando Saavedra (born 27 September 1954) is an
Argentine
Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
professional golfer
A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...
.
Early life
In 1954, Saavedra was born in
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
. In his adolescence, he worked as a caddie in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
.
Professional career
In 1974, Saavedra turning professional. Saavedra won the Argentine Professional Ranking in 1979, but only competed in four
major championships, in the
British Open
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
in 1979, 1980, 1985 and 1990. He competed on the
European Tour
The European Tour, currently titled as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, and legally the PGA European Tour or the European Tour Group, is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European ...
from 1978 to 1979 and from 1985 to 1992 and obtained three top ten finishes: T8 at the
Scandinavian Enterprise Open
The Scandinavian Enterprise Open was a golf tournament on the European Tour that was played in Sweden until 1990, when it had a prize fund of £400,000, which was mid-range for the tour at that time.
In 1991, the tournament was merged with fell ...
in 1979, T5 at the
Peugeot Open de France in 1986 and 7th at the
Open Renault de Baleares in 1990. He competed on the
Canadian Tour
PGA Tour Canada, commonly referred to as the Canadian Tour, was a men's professional golf tour headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The United States–based PGA Tour took over operation of the tour on November 1, 2012, at which time it was renamed ...
in 1979 and his best finish was third in the
Canadian PGA Championship
The PGA Championship of Canada is a golf tournament organized by the PGA of Canada, an organization founded in 1911 at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club. It was first played in 1912 as the Canadian PGA Championship. It was a Nationwide Tour event from 2 ...
.
In 1985, Saavedra lost in a playoff at the Kentab Open (Sweden).
Saavedra represented Argentina on one occasion in the
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
in 1987 and finished fourth in the individual competition in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
. He also represented Argentina in the
Alfred Dunhill Cup
The Alfred Dunhill Cup was a team golf tournament which ran from 1985 to 2000, sponsored by Alfred Dunhill Ltd. It was for three-man teams of professional golfers, one team representing each country, and was promoted as the "World Team Championsh ...
in 1986.
After turning 50, Saavedra competed on the
European Seniors Tour
The European Senior Tour, currently branded as the Legends Tour, is a professional golf tour for male golfers aged 50 and over, run by the PGA European Tour. The tour was titled as the Staysure Tour for the 2018 and 2019 seasons after UK-based i ...
in 2005.
Professional wins (31)
Argentine wins (22)
*1978
Chaco Open, Jujuy Open
*1979 International Bank Grand Prix, Ranelagh Open, La Razon Cup
*1982
South Open,
Praderas Grand Prix (tie with
Vicente Fernández
Vicente Fernández Gómez (17 February 1940 – 12 December 2021) was a Mexican mariachi singer, actor and film producer. Nicknamed "Chente" (short for Vicente), "El Charro de Huentitán" (The Charro from Huentitán), "El Ídolo de México" (Th ...
)
*1984 San Isidro Open
*1985
Acantilados Grand Prix,
Abierto del Litoral, Vanguard Grand Prix
*1986
Abierto del Litoral, Ranelagh Open
*1987
Chaco Open, South American Team
*1992 Palermo Grand Prix, Golfer's Grand Prix,
Campeonato Metropolitano
*1993
Mendoza Open
*1994
Argentine PGA Championship
The Argentine PGA Championship is a golf tournament played in Argentina since 1920. It was generally supported by the leading Argentine golfers and its list of champions includes Eduardo Romero (8 times), José Jurado (7 times), Vicente Fernánde ...
*1997 La Plata Open,
Abierto del Litoral
Other wins (4)
*1986 Iguazu International Open (Paraguay)
*1987 São Paulo Open (Brazil)
*1992
Colombian Open
*2001 Santo Domingo Open (Chile)
Senior wins (5)
*2006
Argentine Senior Open, Chaco Senior Open, Jockey Club Rosario Senior Open
*2007 Rafaela Senior Grand Prix
*2009 Acantilados Senior Open
Team appearances
*
Dunhill Cup
The Alfred Dunhill Cup was a team golf tournament which ran from 1985 to 2000, sponsored by Alfred Dunhill Ltd. It was for three-man teams of professional golfers, one team representing each country, and was promoted as the "World Team Championsh ...
(representing Argentina):
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
** Spain and Portugal en ...
*
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
(representing Argentina):
1987
Events January
* January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency.
* January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade.
* January 3 – Afghan leader ...
External links
*
Argentine male golfers
European Tour golfers
European Senior Tour golfers
1954 births
Living people
20th-century Argentine sportsmen
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