From a boy crying in the rain to "The Open": The breakthrough day of young male golfer named “Fifa" Pongsapak Laopakdee.
The image of a small boy standing and crying amidst pouring rain and strong winds on a links course that day is interspersed with today’s Fifa Pongsapak Laopakdee. The young swinger, Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship winner and world’s No. 23 amateur, has grown with a strong heart, turning past tears into a historic moment at the legendary 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, England.
The young golfer from Arizona State University stepped onto the course as the only Thai golfer and sole Thai amateur this week, after previously competing in a world-class Masters Tournament classroom last April. Though he missed the cut at Augusta, that valuable experience made Fifa more composed with a clearly developed mindset.
Despite a less-than-ideal first round with a score of 5 over par, tied for 135th, the real challenge at Royal Birkdale this week is the true test of a links course. With fast greens and very hard ground, Fifa admitted after round one that this was an entirely new experience in his life. “Never before. This is my first time. I came to England 10 years ago to compete in Scotland, but I don’t remember it—it was a decade ago. So this feels completely new. It’s very different from golf I’ve played in America or Thailand.”
Previously, Fifa gained valuable lessons from a practice round with Justin Rose, former major champion from England, and the week before this event, he also spoke by phone with “Pro Chang” Thongchai Jaidee, legendary Thai swinger who competed here in 2017, to plan and get advice on handling the course conditions.
“I talked with him last week to plan. Pro Thongchai helped me a lot with this week’s strategy. It’s the most fun style of golf—you have to be creative and imagine your shots, especially around the greens, plus tee shots and second shots where you need to control the ball to roll smoothly on the ground.”
In the first round, Fifa was grouped with South Korean star Sungjae Im and England’s Daniel Brown, both playing impressively with a combined 4 under par to lead the leaderboard. Meanwhile, Fifa opened with 5 over par, bogeying hole 1 and double bogeying hole 8 in the front nine, then adding bogeys on holes 12 and 15 in the back nine.
“Playing alongside Sungjae Im and Daniel Brown was amazing. Watching both of them play today was incredible,” Fifa said, praising his playing partners.
He also revealed areas to improve: “My performance wasn’t bad. There are many parts of my game now that feel strong and stable. As I said, if I can make more birdies tomorrow—because I hit a lot of greens in regulation today—I just need to capitalize and turn those chances into scores.”
“I really aimed to take advantage of the early tee time because the wind wasn’t strong outside. I thought I could use that to make birdies and move up the leaderboard. Unfortunately, my putting and control of putt speed weren’t good today. I missed many birdie opportunities but still saved some nice pars. Tomorrow, I just need to adjust putting speed a bit more, and it should be okay.”
Though the first-round score means a tough second round, Fifa’s attitude remains confident, viewing this as a great learning journey before deciding to turn professional next year.
“Looking back about a year, I feel I’ve made several big leaps—winning the Asia-Pacific, winning the SEA Games, playing the Masters, winning a university event, and now playing The Open. It feels like a breakthrough year for me since I’ll turn pro next year. I’m gathering as much amateur experience as possible and preparing myself fully for turning pro.”
Fifa’s journey at The Open this week is not just about competing in a golf tournament but a story of overcoming childhood fears, breaking personal limits, and making a graceful leap as a new blood from Thailand on the global major stage. Let’s send support and cheers to “Fifa Pongsapak Laopakdee” as he fights on in round two to create a miracle by making the cut and etching his name as a Thai amateur at Royal Birkdale.