Thai Golfer Clinches Second Straight Amateur Title in New Zealand

Fifa Laopakdee of Thailand finished second to none in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, claiming his second consecutive title on Sunday at Te Arai Links in New Zealand. The 21-year-old overcame a three-shot deficit with a final round 70 to win by three shots, a performance that guarantees him a return to Augusta National for the Masters in April and a spot at St. Andrews for the British Open next summer.

The turning point came on the 11th hole, where Laopakdee’s approach shot landed just over the false front and rolled to within 7 feet of the pin. He sank the putt for birdie while his closest rival, Zack Swanwick of New Zealand, dropped three strokes. That four-stroke swing in a single hole shifted the momentum, moving Laopakdee from a two-shot deficit to a two-shot lead. He never looked back, extending his advantage on the 17th hole with a wedge shot that stopped 4 feet from the cup for a final birdie.

Swanwick, who began the final round with a two-shot lead, struggled to recover from his stumble on the 11th. His 6-iron shot from the tee area found a back bunker, and his recovery shot rolled past the pin and into a deep swale. He missed his 8-foot putt for par, taking a triple bogey that cost him the lead. Swanwick, a junior at the University of Florida, failed to make a birdie until the closing hole and finished with a 75. He had entered the final round hoping to become the first New Zealander to win the event in front of a home crowd.

Laopakdee’s victory makes him only the second player to win back-to-back titles in the event’s history since 2009. The first was Hideki Matsuyama, a former Masters champion. Laopakdee finished at 6-under 278 at the seaside course located about an hour north of Auckland. He repeated his fist-pumping celebration after tapping in his final par putt on the 18th.

The win marks a strong finish to a mixed year for Laopakdee, who stands 31st in the world amateur rankings. He won the Desimone Invitational in March in San Francisco but saw his results slow in the months that followed. He viewed this tournament as a chance to confirm his form before the next major season. “This is one of the last events of the year, and I wanted to prove to myself that I've still got it,” Laopakdee said. “To pull it off, it means the whole world to me.”

The win also reconnects Laopakdee with Justin Rose, the 2013 Masters champion. The two exchanged phone numbers at the previous Masters, and Rose promised Laopakdee a practice round if he returned. Laopakdee said he smiled widely after the win, thinking of that promise. “Rosey, see you at a practice round for the Masters,” he said.

Kayun Mudadana of Australia finished third with a 67, ending his tournament at 2-under 282. Cooper Moore, who had shared the lead with Swanwick earlier in the final round, birdied the last hole to shoot a 75. Only four players finished under par in the windy conditions. Swanwick admitted his mistakes on the 11th were costly. “I hit into the bunker, just flew the bunker shot a little too far and got a little too cute with the chip,” Swanwick said. “Just had a few mistakes that cost me.”