Rafael Echenique

Rafael Echenique (born 18 October 1980) is an Argentine professional golfer.

Rafael Echenique
Personal information
Full name	Rafael Echenique
Born	(1980-10-18) 18 October 1980 San Luis, Argentina
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight	158 lb (72 kg; 11.3 st)
Nationality	Argentina
Residence	San Luis, Argentina
Spouse	Marina (m. 2005)
Children	Lara (b. 2000)
Career
Turned professional	1999
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour Latinoamérica
Former tour(s)	European Tour Challenge Tour
Professional wins	6
Number of wins by tour
Challenge Tour	2
Other	4
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	DNP
PGA Championship	DNP
U.S. Open	CUT: 2010
The Open Championship	T45: 2012

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.