Sir Nick Faldo’s hilarious quip after learning Fifa Laopakdee’s nickname story

Fifa Laopakdee may be making his first appearance at The Masters Tournament, but it is his name — as much as his golf — that has captured attention at Augusta National this week.

The 21-year-old Thai amateur, a junior at Arizona State University, is one of six amateurs in the field at Augusta National Golf Club for the year’s first men’s major. 

Laopakdee earned his place with a breakthrough victory at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, sealing the title on the third playoff hole with a birdie — and becoming the first Thai amateur ever to compete at The Masters.

But it was his nickname that stole the spotlight during first-round coverage on Sky Sports Golf, where Fifa’s backstory prompted a classic on-air moment from three-time Masters champion Sir Nick Faldo.

Laopakdee, whose birth name is Pongsapak, explained during his pre-tournament press conference that “Fifa” came from a family debate over football allegiances.

“My dad is a huge soccer fan, and he was choosing between Fifa from FIFA World Cup and Uefa from UEFA Champions League,” Laopakdee said on the eve of The Masters. “So luckily I ended up with Fifa.”

Once learning about his story, it drew laughter in the commentary booth from six-time major champion Faldo, who said: “Well it’s a good job his father didn’t consider the Barclays Premier League, isn’t it?”

Fellow English golf legend Dame Laura Davies added: “I’m glad they went with Fifa over Uefa.”

On the course, Laopakdee joins a growing pipeline of Arizona State talent at Augusta. 

Last year, fellow Sun Devil Josele Ballester, who represents Sergio Garcia's Fireballs GC on the LIV Golf League, made his Masters debut as U.S. Amateur champion, continuing the school’s strong representation in elite amateur golf.

Laopakdee has also leaned on the wider ASU network for advice in the build-up to his debut, including conversations with former world number one Jon Rahm.

“There’s a lot of ASU alumni that have played this event,” he said. 

“I’m lucky enough to talk to them… they’re happy enough to answer all my questions, all my concerns, and give me all the tips and strategies to use this week.”

It has been a steep learning curve for him on Masters debut. 

Laopakdee opened with an 8-over 80 in round one, and followed it with a difficult start to his second round, slipping further back on the leaderboard. 

While his scoreline has moved him out of contention for low amateur honours, the experience of competing on golf’s grandest stage remains significant.

For a player still early in his amateur career, the results at Augusta will matter less than the lessons learned — and, perhaps, the fact that few players this week will be remembered quite as quickly as “Fifa”.