\u2014 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (@AAC_Golf) October 26, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Laopakdee, a junior at Arizona State University, started the day with a deficit to 16-year-old Taisei Nagasaki of Japan, who set a new 54-hole scoring record of 17 under par. After a slow start, Laopakdee notched five back-nine birdies \u2013 including Nos. 17 and 18 \u2013 to reach a playoff. He went on to birdie three consecutive playoff holes (18-17-18) to outlast Nagasaki. In total, he birdied his final five holes to win the Championship.<\/p>\n \u201cI still stick to the mindset that I created at the start of the week,\u201d said Laopakdee.<\/p>\n \u201cStay present, process only, have fun out there.\u00a0 Have fun with my caddie and just enjoy golf, shot by shot, hole by hole. I\u2019m just proud that I did all that on the back nine, especially.\u00a0 After I finished 18, I didn\u2019t know I shot 5 under par on the back nine.\u00a0 I laughed with my caddie, I shot 5 under par on the back nine.\u00a0 Amazing golf.\u00a0 Shout out to Taisei as well.\u00a0 He made my life so hard.\u00a0 But it was a pretty amazing battle, with Rintaro as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Laopakdee will now become the first Thai player to compete in the Masters as an amateur. He said he had told Arizona State coach Matt Thurmond he would accomplish the feat, and during his on-camera interview after the Championship, he looked into the camera and said, \u201cCoach, I did it!\u201d<\/p>\n The four-time Asia-Pacific Amateur participant closed with a four under 68 to chase down Nagasaki at 15 under par for the Championship. The pair finished two strokes clear of Japan\u2019s Rintaro Nakano, who finished third for the second consecutive year in what is likely his last event as an amateur.<\/p>\n Nagasaki had a chance to win in regulation but missed a five-footer for birdie at the par-5 18th to settle for the playoff.<\/p>\n Ahmad Skaik \u2013 UAE \u2013 AAC<\/p>\n Skaik carded his third under-par round of the week with a closing one-under-par 71 to finish the tournament in 13th place \u2013 the best result in the Championship\u2019s history for a UAE national. While there was reason to celebrate the historic achievement, the 28-year-old was left thinking what might have been after a double bogey on the 18th hole denied him a top-ten finish.<\/p>\n \u201cToday was pretty steady,\u201d said Skaik. \u201cI had so many good shots and made some good up-and-downs as well. I was three-under going into the last and thought I hit a good tee shot, but it ended up in the rough again, blocked out by the trees. I hit a low cut and ended up between the second cut and the rough. I got a flyer into that bunker \u2013 rock hard. Had to play sideways. Thought I hit a good first putt, but the second putt didn\u2019t go in.\u201d<\/p>\n He later added: \u201cIf you told me six months ago that I would finish 13th, I would have said you\u2019re out of your mind. But it shows how hard work and self-belief make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n With Skaik looking to turn professional in the coming months, the result gave him confirmation that he can compete with the very best. The career-best finish came in his final amateur appearance in the competition.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can see the quality of the field and how much this event means to everyone,\u201d said Skaik. \u201cYou saw the support I had this week. The winner goes to the Masters \u2013 that says it all. They treat you like a star here. I\u2019ve always loved coming here, so it\u2019s bittersweet that this is my last one. Obviously not happy about the double, but happy with how I played overall.\u201d<\/p>\n Geoffrey Laklak -Lebanon \u2013 AAC<\/p>\n Elsewhere among the Arab players, Rayan Ahmed continued the UAE\u2019s strong showing with a tied-24th finish, while Lebanon\u2019s Geoffrey Laklak placed tied-27th. Fellow UAE player Sam Mullane ended the week tied for 31st, with Qatar\u2019s Saleh Alkaabi and Ali Al Shahrani finishing 41st and tied-48th respectively. 13-year-old Jordanian Salem Alabdallat rounded out the regional contingent in tied-53rd.<\/p>\n It capped off a solid week for Arab golf, highlighted by Skaik\u2019s record-breaking performance and growing signs of depth and progress across the region.<\/p>\n Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media<\/p>\n Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n X<\/a><\/p>\n Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n Images: AAC<\/p>\n \nSubsribe to Golf Digest Middle East Newsletter\n<\/p>\n![\"Ahmad-Skaik---2025-Asia-Pacific-Amateur-Championship---AAC\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ahmad-Skaik-2025-Asia-Pacific-Amateur-Championship-AAC.jpg\")
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