Laopakdee matches Matsuyama's feat with second Asia-Pacific Amateur title

Fifa Laopakdee has won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship for a second straight year, defeating Zack Swanwick by three shots in the final round at Te Arai Links in New Zealand.

The victory, confirmed by Sky Sports Golf, secures the Arizona State senior invitations to the 2027 Masters and the Open Championship, competitions he played for the first time earlier this year.

Laopakdee opened the championship with a 63 on Thursday before closing with a one-under 70 on Sunday, according to Yahoo Sports. He was still chasing Swanwick as the final round entered its back nine.

The decisive swing came at the 11th hole, where Swanwick carded a triple bogey seven and Laopakdee made birdie, a four-shot turnaround that put him in front with seven holes remaining.

He described feeling his hands shake over the birdie putt, but said he deliberately kept his mindset unchanged rather than allowing the lead to alter his approach.

The win means Laopakdee now stands alongside Hideki Matsuyama as the only golfers to have won back-to-back Asia-Pacific Amateur titles, a distinction he said carried extra weight given the year he has had.

Laopakdee reflected that he had not won anything since March and had battled self-doubt throughout the year, telling Yahoo Sports he kept reminding himself he still had the ability, even as what he called a "demon" in his head insisted otherwise.

"This win means a lot because I'm able to prove to myself that I've still got it," he added.

Laopakdee credited his two major appearances this year with reshaping his outlook on life beyond college golf, pointing to the shared locker rooms, dining halls and practice rounds alongside the sport's leading professionals.

He said the experience had matured him and prompted him to take up reading on golf psychology, citing a book by Bob Rotella as one he had drawn on.

He also detailed the routine that carried him through the week, describing mornings spent reading, journaling and extracting lessons to apply on the course before his later tee times.

Laopakdee explained that on days with a late tee time he would wake, eat breakfast, return to his room to read and write notes, and look for something from that reading he could use on the course that day, a routine he said worked out well for him.

Laopakdee has not yet met Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, but said he hoped that might change at Augusta National next April.

He said Matsuyama had played a major role for golf in Japan and across Asia, and that matching his back-to-back achievement was a great honour, adding that he hoped to follow in the Japanese player's footsteps.

The 2027 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is scheduled for October 28-31 at Hoiana Shores Golf Club in Hoi An, Vietnam, where Laopakdee will defend the title he has now held in successive years.