Rafael Echenique

Who is Rafael Echenique?

Rafael Echenique is an Argentine professional golfer.

Echenique was born in San Luis, Argentina. He turned pro in 1999. Having failed to gain a place on the European Tour via the qualifying school on four occasions, Echenique finally won his card on the main tour by virtue of finishing seventh on the 2006 Challenge Tour, helped by a win in the Telia Challenge Waxholm in Sweden and was second in the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final. Later that year he won the biggest title of his career, the Argentine Open in his home country.

Echenique's first year on the European Tour was highlighted by a second place finish in the TCL Classic as he just did enough to retain his playing privileges for the following season. In 2008, a tie for fourth in the Celtic Manor Wales Open and seventh in the Omega European Masters, along with several other top twenty finishes, enabled him to sit more comfortably in 90th place on the Order of Merit. He was second in the 2000 Llao Llao Match Play, and the 2004 Argentine PGA Championship. He won the Argentine Amateur Rankings in 1997/98.

Echenique achieved the biggest result of his career at the 2009 BMW International Open, finishing runner-up to Nick Dougherty. Moving through the field on the final day, Echenique carded a final-round 10-under-par 62, which included an albatross at the par-5 18th hole, contributing to a European Tour record back-nine score of 27.