Mexican golf achieved a notable double on the same day in November when Benitez, only 19 at the time, grabbed a spot at The Open for himself by winning the Visa Open de Argentina hours after Abraham Ancer did the same by capturing the Emirates Australian Open.
Both were by convincing margins too, Ancer triumphing by five and then his compatriot marching to a three-stroke success and so becoming the youngest-ever winner on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica.
His world ranking stood at 2,013th and he was without even a top-ten finish on the circuit. His best performance, in fact, was a tie for 11th on his previous start at the Peru Open, where he led the field with his opening eight-under-par 64.
Prior to turning professional he won four amateur tournaments in 2017, including the 54-hole Toyota World Junior qualifier in Guatemala by seven shots.
Previous winners of the Argentina Open include Champion Golfers Mark O’Meara, Mark Calcavecchia, Tom Weiskopf and Roberto de Vicenzo, who incredibly lifted the title nine times between 1944 and 1974.