Thailand’s Pongsapak “Fifa” Laopakdee has a ritual during tournaments where he sings songs to calm the nerves. There were plenty on Sunday during the final round of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, where the Arizona State college golfer won a dramatic playoff at the Emirates Golf Club to punch his ticket to the 2026 Masters and 154th Open Championship.
Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley and R&A chief executive Mark Darbon have echoed Rory McIlroy’s sentiments from the recent controversial Ryder Cup at Bethpage that golf should be held to a higher standard of fan behaviour than other sports.
Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said a surge in the percentage of international players competing in the Masters in recent years was the inspiration to award the winners of the Australian Open and five other national opens a spot into the April major in the future.
Rory McIlroy wasted no time in updating his social media handles to reflect his enormous achievement by winning the Masters to complete the career grand slam.
Less than 24 hours after Rory McIlroy completed one of the most impressive feats in golf, this NFL great took on Augusta National with the same Sunday pins.
Shane Lowry wasn’t having it. He’d just come off the 18th hole having finished bogey-bogey, dropping from five back to seven back in a blink. He’d battled all day to post an under par round and get inside the top four on the leader board. Instantly spoiled.
Australian Golf Digest
