PHOENIX – Zero cuts made. Zero earnings. Zero events played. These stats appear on Pongsapak “Fifa” Laopakdee’s official PGA Tour player profile as he prepares for his debut Thursday at the 90th edition of the Masters at Augusta National in Georgia.
“My locker is between Tiger (Woods) and Bryson (DeChambeau). That’s a lot to soak in,” Laopakdee said. “I definitely took a picture of that.”
The Arizona State junior, 21, did not land here by accident. Laopakdee earned his spot by winning the 2025 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Dubai last October, pulling off a surgical 6-shot comeback in his final round. Now, he is set to become the first Thai amateur to play in Masters history.
This will not be Laopakdee’s first time representing Thailand. At the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, he beat the field by 11 strokes and earned the individual gold medal for his country. Now Fifa’s calm, collected approach has lifted him to golf’s biggest stage. He plans to embrace the inevitable pressure and focus on enjoying the present.
“Everyone is always going to feel nervous on the first tee, even the best player in the world. That’s what you train for,” Laopakdee said. “I’m just going to embrace it. I’m not trying to think too much and just go out there and have fun.”
Laopakdee is not the only one in this year’s field with ASU ties. Arizona State alumnus and 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm is making his 10th appearance at Augusta National. This connection is proving to be extra beneficial this weekend for Laopakdee.
“I played with Jon Rahm at the start of January,” Laopakdee said. “It’s been an honor to have those kinds of guys in town. They’re happy to answer all my questions, all my concerns and give me all the tips and other strategies to use this week.”
This is not the first time an ASU golfer has competed in the Masters while still in school. Fifa joins a list that includes Phil Mickelson (1991), Chez Reavie (2002) and most recently, José Luis “Josele” Ballester, a Spanish amateur who caused a bit of a social media stir for relieving himself in Rae’s Creek near the 13th hole during the first round of the 2025 Masters.
Not only has ASU men’s golf coach Matt Thurmond, now in his 10th season, watched other ASU players experience this tournament in previous years, he has watched Laopakdee since the start of his time at ASU and accompanied him to Augusta.
“Fifa came as a great player already, and that showed from the start,” Thurmond said. “But I think what we see now is he can compete in all circumstances, on all types of courses, at all levels.”
Thurmond pointed to the Desimone Invitational earlier this season, where Laopakdee won, as a benchmark moment of his development. He said the difficult, windy conditions were something Laopakdee would have struggled with two years ago.
“He rose to the occasion, and now he’s here – from a young freshman just a couple years ago to playing in the Masters,” Thurmond said.
Laopakdee and Thurmond will miss the annual Arizona State Thunderbird Collegiate this weekend. Still, the team remains supportive and held their annual Masters draft over Zoom.
“I was very disappointed that nobody took Fifa in the first two rounds,” Thurmond quipped. “So I got to take him in the third.”
Thurmond believes Laopakdee’s key to success is a strong start and adjusting to Augusta National’s difficult greens. Apart from golf, Thurmond added that simply playing in the Masters is a significant accomplishment for Laopakdee and his family, regardless of outcome.
“I was talking with his coach in Thailand a couple of days ago,” Thurmond said. “His coach said, ‘We used to putt on the putting green and imagine we were playing at the Masters. Now we’re actually here.’ So it’s fun to see him enjoy it.”
Laopakdee is guaranteed at least 36-holes of fun in Georgia as his first two rounds will be played alongside 1992 Masters champion Fred Couples and world No. 25 ranked Min Woo Lee. They are tentatively scheduled to tee off at 9:15 a.m. MST Thursday and 5:50 a.m MST Friday.
Last year after two rounds, the cut line was 2-over-par. Should Laopakdee finish his second round at even par, history shows that should be enough for him to play through the weekend.
Laopakdee has proven numerous times in his young career that he is capable of scoring low, winning three collegiate and two amateur level tournaments in the past two years.
If his momentum from the collegiate level carries over to Augusta, Pongsapak “Fifa” Laopakdee could be a name to remember come Sunday night. For now, reality sets in for the kid who grew up dreaming of this moment.
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