Fifa Laopakdee Becomes First Thai to Win Asia-Pacific Amateur, Earns Masters and The Open Spots
Sunday 26th October 2025; Dubai, United Arab Emirates: 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, sending him to the Masters and The Open Championship next year.
Laopakdee, a junior at Arizona State, became the first player from Thailand to win the championship that began in 2010.
The winning shot for Laopakdee turned out to be a 6-iron that cleared the water with inches to spare on No. 18 of the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club, staying on the slope just beyond the yellow hazard line. From there, it was a simple up-and-down for his fifth straight birdie dating to No. 17 in regulation.
Laopakdee said he had told Arizona State coach Matt Thurmond, “I'll win this event and be the first Thai amateur to play in the Masters."
He looked into the camera after it was over and said, “Coach, I did it!”
Nagasaki, who started the final round with a five-shot lead over Rintaro Nakano, was tied with Laopakdee after a two-shot swing on the 15th hole. But the Japanese teen responded by making an 18-foot birdie on No. 16, driving the reachable par-4 No. 17 for a birdie and hit an exquisite chip to four feet on the par-5 closing hole.
But he missed the birdie putt for 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 last two. He shot 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.”
More sensational shots followed in the playoff — Nagasaki chose to lay up on No. 18 and clipped a wedge over the water to 2 feet for birdie to stay in the playoff after Laopakdee made birdie from behind the green.
Laopakdee used his power to set up another simple up-and-down on the reachable No. 17 in the playoff, and Nagasaki matched his birdie with another superb pitch.
But on No. 18 for the third playoff hole, Nagasaki went well left of the green, and his chip from a sticky lie came out heavy and left him some 35 feet away. He two-putted for par.
“Very disappointed,” Nagasaki said through an interpreter as he used his shirt to wipe away tears. “I really struggled to make a score.”