Pongsapak “Fifa” Laopakdee rallied from a six-shot deficit with a 4-under 68 and beat 16-year-old Taisei Nagasaki of Japan on the third playoff hole to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur. The victory earns Laopakdee invitations to both the Masters and The Open next year.
Laopakdee, a junior at Arizona State, became the first player from Thailand to win the championship since its inception in 2010.
The winning shot for Laopakdee was a clutch 6-iron that barely cleared the water on the 18th of the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club, staying on the slope just beyond the yellow hazard line. From there, he converted a simple up-and-down for his fifth straight birdie dating back to the 17th hole in regulation.
What makes this victory even more remarkable is that Laopakdee had previously told Arizona State coach Matt Thurmond, “I’ll win this event and be the first Thai amateur to play in the Masters.”
After securing the win, he looked into the camera and exclaimed, “Coach, I did it!”
Nagasaki, who started the final round with a five-shot lead over Rintaro Nakano, found himself tied with Laopakdee after a two-shot swing on the 15th hole. The Japanese teen responded brilliantly by making an 18-foot birdie on the 16th, driving the reachable par-4 17th for another birdie, and hitting an exquisite chip to 4 feet on the par-5 closing hole.
But he missed the short birdie putt that would have sealed the win, closing with a 74 to join Laopakdee at 15-under 273. Laopakdee had to get up-and-down from a back bunker to birdie the final two holes, shooting an impressive 5-under 32 on the back nine.
“After I finished 18, I didn’t even know I shot 5 under par on the back nine,” Laopakdee said. “It was amazing golf. Shout out to Taisei. He made my life so hard.”
The playoff featured even more spectacular shotmaking. Nagasaki chose to lay up on the 18th and clipped a wedge over the water to 2 feet for birdie to extend the playoff after Laopakdee made birdie from behind the green.
On the second playoff hole, Laopakdee used his power to set up another straightforward up-and-down on the reachable 17th, and Nagasaki matched his birdie with another superb pitch.
The drama finally ended on the 18th, played as the third playoff hole. Nagasaki went well left of the green, and his chip from a sticky lie came out heavy, leaving him some 35 feet away. He two-putted for par, opening the door for Laopakdee’s victory.
“Very disappointed,” Nagasaki said through an interpreter as he used his shirt to wipe away tears. “I really struggled to make a score.”
Nakano closed with a 71 and finished third for the second straight year.
