Fifa Laopakdee of Thailand became the second player to win back-to-back in the Asia-Pacific Amateur with another Sunday comeback, this time without having to win in a playoff.
asserted
Laopakdee → become → playoff
He closed with a 1-under 70 for a three-shot victory.
asserted
He → close → victory
That sends Laopakdee back to Augusta National in April for the Masters, along with a return trip to the British Open next summer at St. Andrews.
asserted
That → send → Andrews
The 21-year-old Thai said he exchanged phone numbers at the last Masters with Justin Rose, who promised him a practice round if Laopakdee made it back.
asserted
Laopakdee → say → it
“Rosey, see you at a practice round for the Masters,” Laopakdee said with a wide smile.
asserted
Laopakdee → see → smile
Laopakdee, three shots behind with 10 holes to play at Te Arai Links, flipped the script in one hole when he hit his approach just over the false front to 7 feet for a birdie on No. 11, and Zack Swanwick of New Zealand shockingly took a triple bogey.
asserted
Swanwick → play → bogey
That four-shot swing took Laopakdee form a two-shot deficit to a two-shot lead, and the Arizona State senior didn’t give Swanwick much of a chance to catch him.
asserted
senior → take → him
Laopakdee effectively ended it with a wedge to 4 feet on the par-3 17th for one final birdie, stretching his lead to four shots.
asserted
Laopakdee → end → shots
Swanwick, who began the final round with a two-shot lead over Laopakdee and Cooper Moore, didn’t make a birdie until the par-5 closing hole.
asserted
who → begin → hole
He shot 75.
asserted
He → shoot → 75
Laopakdee joined Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama as the only players to win consecutive years since the Asia-Pacific Amateur began in 2009.
asserted
Amateur → join → 2009
He repeatedly shook his fists when he tapped in for par on the 18th to finish at 6-under 278 at the wind-blown seaside course about an hour north of Auckland.
asserted
he → shake → Auckland
It was a tough ending for Swanwick, trying to become the first Kiwi to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur in front of a home crowd, in a year when New Zealand celebrated another major champion in Ryan Fox at Royal Birkdale.
asserted
Zealand → try → Birkdale
Swanwick, a junior at Florida, had a two-shot lead going to the 11th hole when his 6-iron was a little strong and went into a back bunker.
asserted
iron → have → bunker
His shot came out a fraction too strong, rolled past the pin and then off the false front into a deep swale.
asserted
shot → come → swale
His chip-and-run up the slope came back to his feet.
asserted
chip → come → feet
The next chip barely stayed on the green and he missed then 8-foot putt to take triple bogey.
asserted
he → stay → bogey
“Middle of the green, make par and get out of there,” Swanwick said.
asserted
Swanwick → make → par
“I hit into the bunker, just flew the bunker shot a little too far and got a little too cute with the chip.
asserted
I → hit → chip
Just had a few mistakes that cost me.”
asserted
that → have → me
Swanwick looked he might get it back on the par-5 13th into the wind.
uncertain
he → look → wind
His second shot came up short and he pitched to 10 feet for a chance at birdie.
asserted
he → come → birdie
Laopakdee drove into a sandy area, and only advanced the ball some 40 yards into more sand.
asserted
Laopakdee → drive → sand
He laid up, then hit wedge to 20 feet.
asserted
He → lay → feet
Laopakdee rolled in the long par putt, and Swanwick missed his birdie.
asserted
Swanwick → roll → birdie
Instead of a chance to tie for the lead, the Kiwi was still two behind.
asserted
Kiwi → tie → lead
And on the short par-4 14th, Swanwick drilled driver onto the green, some 70 feet away.
asserted
Swanwick → drill → green
He rolled a putt over the ridge to about 8 feet, missed the birdie putt and the missed the 4-foot par putt.
asserted
He → roll → putt
The four-putt bogey sent him three behind.
asserted
bogey → send → him
“It was tough luck for Zack on 11, it was super windy,” Laopakdee said.
asserted
Laopakdee → say → 11
“I somehow hit a great second shot and made birdie and it created huge momentum for me.
asserted
it → hit → me
Kayun Mudadana of Australia closed with a 67 and finished alone in third at 2-under 282.
asserted
Mudadana → close → under
Moore birdied the last hole for 75 and was another shot back.
asserted
Moore → birdie → 75
Only four players finished under par.
asserted
players → finish → par
A year ago in Dubai, Laopakdee rallied from a six-shot deficit in the final round and won the Asia-Pacific on the third playoff hole.
asserted
Laopakdee → rally → hole
Laopakdee, at No. 31 in the world amateur ranking, won the Desimone Invitational in early March at Lake Merced in San Francisco.
asserted
Laopakdee → win → Francisco
“This is one of the last events of the year, and I wanted to prove to myself that I’ve still got it,” he said.
asserted
he → want → it
“To pull it off, it means the whole world to me.”
asserted
it → pull → me
The Aporia
