Summary
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Pongsapak “Fifa” Laopakdee staged a stunning comeback, overcoming a six-stroke deficit with a 4-under-par 68 to defeat 16-year-old Taisei Nagasaki of Japan on the third playoff hole and win the Asia-Pacific Amateur. The victory earns him a spot in next year’s Masters and British Open.
Laopakdee, a junior at Arizona State University, became the first Thai player to win this championship, which has been held since 2010. His decisive shot was a 6-iron that crossed the water with very little margin on the 18th hole of the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club, landing just beyond the yellow danger line. From there, he made an easy up-and-down for his fifth consecutive birdie from the 17th hole.
The player said he had told his coach at Arizona State, Matt Thurmond, “I’m going to win this event and be the first Thai amateur to play in the Masters.” After the victory, he looked at the camera and exclaimed, “Coach, I did it!”
Key details
Nagasaki, who started the final round with a five-stroke lead over Rintaro Nakano, tied with Laopakdee after a two-stroke change on the 15th hole. However, the young Japanese player responded with an 18-foot birdie on the 16th hole, a birdie on the par-4 17th, and an excellent 4-foot chip on the 18th hole.
Despite his efforts, he missed the birdie putt that would have given him the victory, closing with 74 strokes and tying with Laopakdee at 15 under par, 273. Laopakdee had to get out of a bunker to make birdie on the last two holes, scoring 32 strokes, 5 under par, on the back nine.
“After finishing the 18th hole, I didn’t even realize I’d shot 5 under par for the round,” Laopakdee commented. “It was incredible golf. Shout out to Taisei. He made my life very difficult.”
In the playoff, Nagasaki opted for a conservative shot on the 18th hole, sinking a two-foot birdie with a great strike. Laopakdee, using his power, also birdied the 17th. However, on the third playoff hole, Nagasaki veered to the left of the green, and his chip shot came off heavy, leaving him 35 feet from the hole. He eventually two-putted for par.
Statements and context
“I’m very disappointed,” Nagasaki said through an interpreter, wiping tears with his T-shirt. “I really struggled to put together a good score.” Nakano closed with a 71 and finished third for the second year in a row.
