Thailand amateur FIFA Laopakdee qualified for Masters and Open tournaments

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Pongsapak “FIFA” Laopakdee fought back from six shots behind to shoot a 4-under 68 and beat 16-year-old Japan’s Taisei Nagasaki in the third playoff to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and send him to next year’s Masters and Open.

Laopakdee, a junior at Arizona State University, became the first Thai player to win the tournament, which began in 2010.

On the 18th hole at the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club, Laopakdee’s winning shot was a 6-iron that missed the mark by inches on the slope not far from the yellow hazard line. From there, it was a simple up-and-down with his fifth straight birdie on the 17th hole in regulation.

Raupadi said he had told Arizona State coach Matt Thurmond, “I’m going to win this tournament and be the first Thai amateur to play in the Masters.”

After the game, he looked at the camera and said, “Coach, I did it!”

Nagasaki, who started the final round with a five-stroke lead over Rintaro Nakano, was tied with Laupakdi after a two-shot swing on the 15th hole. But the Japanese teen responded with an 18-foot birdie on No. 16, a birdie on the par-4 17th and a delicate chip to 4 feet on the par-5 final.

But he missed the winning birdie putt and finished with a 74, tied with Laopakdee at 15 under for a total of 273. Laopakdee had to move up and down the back bunker to birdie the final two holes. He shot a 5-under 32 on the back nine.

“I didn’t even know I was 5 under on the back nine until I shot 18,” Raupakdi said. “That golf was awesome. Hats off to Denton. He made my life so difficult.”

In the playoffs, more exciting shots followed. After Laupakdi birdied behind the green, Nagasaki elected to lay up on the 18th hole, hitting his wedge to 2 feet from the water for birdie and stay in the playoff.

In the playoff, Laupakdi used his power to hit another simple up-and-down shot on the accessible 17th hole, and Nagasaki matched his birdie with another great shot.

But on the third playoff hole, No. 18, Nagasaki was well left of the green when his chip shot came out of the sticky hole, about 35 feet away. He two-putted for par.

“Very disappointed,” Nagasaki said through a translator, wiping tears on his shirt. “I had a really hard time getting results.”

Nakano finished with a 71 to finish third for the second consecutive year.