Pongsapak "Fifa" Laopakdee turned a six-shot deficit into the biggest win of his life, shooting a 4-under-par 68 and outlasting 16-year-old Taisei Nagasaki of Japan on the third extra hole to capture the Asia-Pacific Amateur on Sunday in Dubai.

 

Comeback complete.

Fifa Laopakdee overturns a six-shot deficit to win the 2025 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship 🏆

ฟีฟ่า-พงศภัค เหล่าภักดี คว้าแชมป์ เอเชีย-แปซิฟิก อเมเจอร์ แชมเปียนชิพ คนไทยคนแรกที่คว้าแชมป์รายการนี้ pic.twitter.com/aWBL4Sfo9C

— Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (@AAC_Golf) October 26, 2025

 

The Arizona State junior became the first player from Thailand to win the championship since its launch in 2010, a victory that includes invitations to the 2026 Masters and the Open Championship.

Laopakdee's week-ending sequence was audacious. After Nagasaki's lead had disappeared by the conclusion of the 15th hole, both golfers birdied two of the final three holes to force extra holes. They both birdied the first two playoff holes as well, then took dead aim at the par-5 18th on the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club.

Laopakdee's 6-iron second barely cleared the water and settled inches beyond the hazard line on the slope, setting up a routine up-and-down for birdie. It was the culmination of a blistering run with five straight birdies in all. Nagasaki had to settle for par on the hole, handing the win to the 20-year-old.

"It's unreal. I think I told my (Arizona State) coach Matt Thurmond, ‘I'll be the first Thai to win this event and be the first Thai amateur to play in the Masters,'" Laopakdee said. "Coach, I did it! It means the world to me."

Nagasaki, who began the day with a five-shot cushion, missed a 4-foot putt on 18 that would have won him the tournament in regulation. He 2-over-par 74 for the day.

"I'm very disappointed with myself," Nagasaki said through an interpreter, fighting back tears.

"Really struggled to make a score today. Feel disappointed."

Japan's Rintaro Nakano shot 1-under-par 71 to finish third for the second consecutive year.

Augusta National Golf Club and The R&A on Tuesday jointly announced new qualification pathways into the Masters and British Open, offering invitations to winners from select national opens around the world.

The move by golf's most prestigious tournament organisers aims to strengthen international representation in both majors, building on The R&A's existing Open Qualifying Series that has operated since 2013.

"The Masters Tournament has long recognised the significance of having international representation among its invitees," Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National, said in a joint press release. "We, along with The R&A, have a shared commitment to the global game and are proud to work together."

The new system will begin immediately, with players able to earn their way into both majors through historic national open championships worldwide.

The qualification criteria for the 2026 Masters being held next April now include invitations for winners of the Scottish Open, Spanish Open, Japan Open, Hong Kong Open, Australian Open and South African Open.

Invitations to the Masters and @TheOpen will be provided to winners of select national open championships across several international tours.

For the Masters, qualification 17 has been amended to award invitations only to individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a… pic.twitter.com/HGj9MEyaxk

— The Masters (@TheMasters) August 26, 2025

Augusta National also updated how it awards Masters invites to PGA Tour winners, limiting them to individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation applied to the season-ending Tour Championship.

This means, unlike last year, winners of the PGA Tour's fall events will not get direct exemption into the 2026 Masters.

For the 2026 British Open at Royal Birkdale in July, players can qualify through 15 events across 13 countries. The schedule for The Open Qualifying Series and the list of exemptions for the next British Open will be announced in September.

Mark Darbon, Chief Executive of The R&A, emphasised the mutual benefits of the partnership.

"We share the same goal as Augusta National to offer places in both The Open and the Masters to players competing in national opens and by doing so to help to showcase and strengthen our sport in those regions," said Darbon.

The initiative recognises what both organisations call "the global strength of elite professional golf" and creates what Darbon described as "an outstanding opportunity for players in all parts of the world to qualify."

The winner of the 2026 Investec South African Open will receive an invitation to the 2026 Masters Tournament and a place on one of the most iconic stages in the game.

The Sunshine Tour announced on Tuesday that Augusta National Golf Club has, as part of its 2026 qualifications, confirmed a place in its field for the winner of the 2026 Investec South African Open, which will be played at Stellenbosch Golf Club from 26 February to 1 March.

Further to this, The R&A has also stated its intention to retain the 2026 Investec South African Open as part of The Open Qualifying Series (OQS) for The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale.

The national Open will now be the direct pathway into two of the most iconic Majors in the game for Sunshine Tour members.

“This is an historic moment for both our national Open and the Sunshine Tour. It is a powerful endorsement of the Sunshine Tour’s status as a strong and sustainable Tour, and further recognition of our role as a valued member of the global golf eco system and at the highest level of the game,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour.

“As a Tour we have always been focused on representing the entire depth of our 250-strong membership and giving our members the best possible opportunities, through increased prize money on our Tour, more playing opportunities, the ability to showcase their talent and our game through our local and international broadcast platforms, and a global pathway onto the biggest stages such as the Majors through our Strategic Alliance with the DP World Tour and PGA Tour.

"This announcement is the exact representation of our belief that greatness begins here, on the Sunshine Tour.

“Whether its playing on the DP World Tour or PGA Tour, competing in the Majors, or representing South Africa in the Presidents Cup or the Olympic Games, the Sunshine Tour is a Tour of opportunity where our members can truly live out their biggest dreams for their careers.”

Tiger Woods took to social media on Tuesday to play an April Fool's prank on golf fans, giving false hope he could overcome an injury to play in next week's Masters.

Woods, a 15-time major winner and five-time Masters champion, posted a message on X celebrating a miracle recovery from a ruptured left Achilles tendon.

"I can't believe I am saying this, but a few weeks after rupturing my left Achilles, the sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber plus the explosive lifts my doctors and trainers have me ready to play the Masters next week!" Woods wrote.

"Can't wait! See y'all on the course."

For precious minutes there were some who believed the 49-year-old American superstar was all set for a shock return to Augusta National Golf Club.

Then came the follow-up message from Woods.

"P.S. April Fools my Achilles is still a mess :)" Woods wrote.

P.S. April Fools my Achilles is still a mess :) https://t.co/H1Y1AOgn2v

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 1, 2025

Woods announced last month he suffered the injury and underwent tendon repair surgery while training in advance of the Masters.

He has given no timetable for when he might truly return to playing PGA events and majors.

Woods announced the death of his mother, Kultida Woods, in February and skipped the Genesis Invitational later that month, saying he was not yet prepared to compete in the PGA event his foundation hosts.

"I did my best to prepare, knowing it's what my Mom would have wanted, but I'm still processing her loss," Woods wrote in February.

South Korea's Ryu Hae-ran birdied the first four holes on her way to an eight-under 64, seizing a one-stroke lead after Saturday's third round of the LPGA Canadian Women's Open.

Ryu, whose only LPGA title came in last October's Northwest Arkansas Championship, stood on 13-under 203 after 54 holes at Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary.

"Really good start, yeah, that was a good thing," Ryu said. "I just think about, wow, this course is so tough and so many challenges."

American Lauren Coughlin, seeking her first LPGA title, was second on 204 after firing a 66 while playing alongside Ryu. "I played extremely well," Coughlin said.

"Hae-ran played an unbelievable round as well, but I felt like I hung in there really well and was able to go blow for blow pretty much most of the day.

"She was making everything there to start, so I was just trying to stay in my own bubble and not get too into what she was doing, which was hard when she's playing as good as she was."

Japan's Mao Saigo fired a stunning bogey-free 61, an 11-under par event record, to share third on 208 with American Rose Zhang.

American Jennifer Kupcho was in fifth on 209. World number 20 Ryu's sizzling start overtook Coughlin for the lead. Ryu also birdied the sixth and 10th holes and answered her lone bogey at the 12th with a birdie at 13 and an eagle at the par-5 14th.

"Mao was 11-under par, I said wow she had a crazy day. But I started five holes in 5-under, so I'm crazy too, I think. It's funny today," Ryu said.

"Really proud of myself but I have one more round and I'll just trust my shots."

Ryu was a runner-up at last week's Dana Open, her seventh top-10 effort of the season, and fifth at the Evian Championship two weeks ago. "Because of really good finish at final round last week I have more confidence for my everything for the golf," Ryu said. "Now I just trust myself and really good score and keep going I think."

Coughlin, ranked 38th, battled Ryu for the lead all the way, starting with back-to-back birdies and adding two more at the par-3 fifth and par-4 sixth.

She stumbled with a bogey at seven but responded with birdies at the par-3 ninth and par-4 10th, then answered another bogey at 12 with birdies at the par-5 14th and par-3 17th to finish one off the lead.

Coughlin had her best finishes so far this year at majors, sharing third at the Chevron Championship and placing fourth at Evian.

- Saigo stuns with 61 -

The shocker of the round was Saigo, who made birdies on all four par-5 holes, added two birdies each just before and after her one-bounce eagle from the fairway at the par-4 10th and had a birdie at the par-3 17th to leap into contention.

"In the middle of the round, I tried not to think about the score anymore and focus on each shot and when I finished the round I realized I had shot 11-under and I was very surprised," Saigo said through a translator.

Lauren Coughlin, seeking her first LPGA title, birdied three of the first five holes and clung to a one-stroke lead after Friday's second round of the Canadian Women's Open.

The 31-year-old American grinded out pars in windy conditions to fire a two-under par 70 and stand on six-under 138 after 36 holes at Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary. "I hung in there and got a good round out of it," Coughlin said.

"I think I handled it really well overall. I putted extremely well. My speed control was on pretty much all day." Australia's Hannah Green also shot 70 to share second on 139 with South Korea's Ryu Hae-ran with a fourth-place pack on 141 including Americans Jennifer Kupcho and Lilia Vu and New Zealand's Lydia Ko.

Coughlin, who fired a 68 on Thursday for a one-stroke lead, birdied the par-5 first hole and added back-to-back birdies at the par-5 fourth and par-3 fifth holes.

"It felt good to get the birdies in to start. Took advantage of the par-5s there," Coughlin said. "The crosswinds were so difficult and they had a lot of back right pins and the wind is coming hard off the right. It's just so hard to aim far enough right to get it to stay on the right level."

From there, she parred on 12 of 13 holes, a lone bogey at 11 her worst moment of battling the wind.

"I really only had one bad swing on 11 tee. Other than that, I feel like I hit everything really solid all day," Coughlin said.

"It was just really difficult to judge how far the ball was going to go with the wind and the crosswind and how firm the greens got. And they had some tough pins, especially considering the direction of the wind. It was a super solid round."

World number 38 Coughlin had her best finishes so far this year at majors, sharing third at the Chevron Championship and placing fourth two weeks ago at the Evian Championship.

That has helped boost the mental strength she has used to stay ahead in battling rivals and brisk breezes.

"Grit is something and just being mentally tougher than a lot of people is just something I've learned over the years, just because I've had to work really hard and persevere a lot throughout my career," she said.

"That's why I can hang in there and I don't get too down on myself. Always keep fighting. When it gets hard, that's fine to me. I'm going to keep fighting the whole time."

Xander Schauffele is dreaming of a career grand slam after claiming the British Open to clinch his second major title just two months after he broke his duck.

Schauffele, 30, won the PGA Championship in May and now requires the Masters and US Open to complete the hallowed quartet of golf's biggest trophies.

Only five players have won all four majors – Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods – but Schauffele hopes he can join that illustrious list.

"Yeah, I mean, before I had any majors, it's something I've always wanted," the American said on Sunday after winning the British Open at Royal Troon on Scotland's west coast by two strokes.

"I'm one step closer and still have a long way to go. But if you don't see yourself doing it, you're never going to do it."

Schauffele was coolness personified as he put together a flawless final-round score of 65 to finish on nine-under-par, two shots ahead of England's Justin Rose and American Billy Horschel.

Schauffele had been one of six players tied for second going into Sunday's final round, a shot behind overnight leader Horschel, who was seeking his first major title.

He believes his win at the PGA at Valhalla two months ago, when he registered a major record of 21-under-par, paved the way for his latest victory.

"I think winning the first one helped me a lot today on the back nine," said Schauffele. "I had some feeling of calmness come through. It was very helpful on what has been one of the hardest back nines I've ever played in a tournament."

Schauffele is the first player to win two majors in a year since Brooks Koepka in 2018.

"I mean, it's a dream come true to win two majors in one year. It took me forever just to win one, and to have two now is something else."

He is set to defend the gold medal he won at the Tokyo Olympics in Paris next month.

American Justin Leonard struck the opening tee shot as the 152nd British Open started in slightly overcast conditions at Royal Troon on Thursday.

---

Tee Times | Course Guide | Win with Steyn City

---

Leonard, the 1997 Open winner, was playing with compatriot Todd Hamilton, 2004 champion at the Scottish links course, and Briton Jack McDonald.

American Bryson DeChambeau, last month's US Open champion, will start his first round at 0847 GMT in the company of young Swede Ludvig Aberg, who is ranked fourth in the world.

Good morning from @RoyalTroonGC

The 152nd Open begins today. pic.twitter.com/N5X9NL1ced

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 2024

World No 2 Rory McIlroy, bidding for his fifth major title 10 years after his last one, tees off at 0909 GMT.

World No 1 Scottie Scheffler is among the late starters alongside fellow Americans Jordan Spieth, the 2017 Open champion, and Cameron Young.

Tiger Woods accepted a special exemption to play in the US Open, the United States Golf Association announced on Thursday.

Woods, who won the US Open in 2000, 2002 and 2008, will be making his 23rd overall appearance at the tournament when it begins on 13 June at Pinehurst, North Carolina.

"The story of the US Open could not be written without Tiger Woods," USGA chief championships officer John Bodenhamer said in a statement.

"From his 15-stroke victory at Pebble Beach in 2000 to his inspiring win on a broken leg at Torrey Pines in 2008, this championship is simply better when Tiger is in the field, and his accomplishments in the game undoubtedly made this an easy decision for our special exemption committee."

See you at Pinehurst, Tiger. pic.twitter.com/yBQ47RrnW9

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) May 2, 2024

The US Open does not provide lifetime exemptions to past champions, unlike the PGA Championship or Masters.

Woods, who is currently No 789 in the Official World Golf Ranking, initially was not eligible for the US Open after his five-year exemption for winning the 2019 Masters expired.

"The US Open, our national championship, is a truly special event for our game and one that has helped define my career," Woods said in a statement.

"I'm honoured to receive this exemption and could not be more excited for the opportunity to compete in this year's US Open, especially at Pinehurst, a venue that means so much to the game."

Woods, 48, won the last of his 15 majors at Augusta in 2019.

This year, he has withdrawn from the Genesis Invitational and limped to a 60th-place finish at the Masters.

He has eyes on competing at the PGA Championship in two weeks at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.

This year's Open will feature the longest hole in the tournament's history after Royal Troon's sixth was extended as part of moderations for the 152nd edition of the major.

The sixth was already a whopping 601 yards when the tournament was last played on the Ayrshire links in 2016 but this year it will measure 623 yards.

Overall the course will play 195 yards longer than in 2016 when Sweden's Henrik Stenson held off Phil Mickelson in one of the greatest duels in Open history.

After facing one of the longest holes in world golf, this year's field could then be faced with one of the shortest with the iconic par-three Postage Stamp eighth potentially coming in at 99 yards with a forward tee and pin positioned close to the front of the green for one of the four rounds.

The Postage Stamp might be a short hole but in terms of spectators it will be huge with an L-shaped grandstand being built that will house 1 500 fans.

This year's total attendance is expected to be 250 000 – the third highest for an Open, behind only the 150th Open at St Andrews in 2022 and the 261 180 who attended Royal Liverpool last year.

A nerveless Jinichiro Kozuma fired seven birdies and an eagle in a sizzling nine-under-par 63 Friday to upstage the big guns in round one of LIV Golf's Adelaide leg.

The former Japan Tour stalwart's putter was on fire in front of large, boisterous crowds at the par-72 Grange Golf Club to take a one stroke lead from New Zealand's Danny Lee and Mexico's Carlos Ortiz.

Chile's Mito Pereira, India's Anirban Lahiri and Americans Peter Uihlein and Andy Ogletree were a shot further back.

Last year's Masters champion Jon Rahm, playing the course for the first time after joining LIV this year, finished strongly with consecutive birdies to be four adrift and lurking as a major threat.

"Today my putter was really hot. I had some troubles here and there, but my putting was there to help me get through," said Kozuma, who is in his first year on the Saudi-backed circuit.

"It's my first time here and I wanted to play really well in front of my family and I got to do that."

Under LIV's shotgun start format, where 18 groups of three players tee off simultaneously on different holes, Kozuma began on the par-four 15th with a birdie and never looked back.

He went to the turn as the outright leader after six birdies on the front nine, with an eagle at his 11th propelling him into a two shot lead.

Lee, playing alongside Kozuma, overcame a bogey start to produce seven birdies in his next 11 holes before a sensational eagle from the bunker drew him level.

But the Japanese star responded with another birdie to hold off a charging pack, led by Lee and Ortiz, who mixed nine birdies with a bogey.

Rahm rolled in five birdies in six holes to race up the leaderboard, but stumbled with consecutive bogeys at the 14th and 15th before a strong finish.

"If I could have avoided those mistakes, it could have shaped up to be a really good round," said the Spanish former world No 1.

"But I did the job and kind of bounced back and finished strong."

Fellow major winners Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, who both tied for sixth at the Masters this month, were five shots off the lead.

LIV supremo Greg Norman this week called Adelaide the blueprint that all other events should aspire to after a successful debut last season.

And the course was again heaving with fans lapping up the atmosphere.

The biggest cheers were at the par-three "party hole" 12th, crammed with 5 000 fans fuelled by alcohol and pumping music who got louder as the day wore on.

It was the scene of LIV's first-ever hole-in-one last year when Chase Koepka hit a perfect drive to spark raucous celebrations.

No one managed to repeat the feat, although Henrik Stenson and Tyrrell Hatton had the crowd on their feet when both went within a whisker.

At the 14th, Australia's Matt Jones, South Africa's Branden Grace and Belgium's Thomas Pieters all came within millimetres of an ace.

Australia's Grace Kim had seven birdies in her seven-under-par 64 on Thursday to take a one-shot lead in the LPGA Los Angeles Championship.

Kim capped her round at Wilshire Country Club with an unlikely birdie at the 18th to finish the day a stroke clear of Sweden's Maja Stark, Thailand's Chanettee Wannasaen and South Korean Kim Sei-young.

"Well, I chunked my tee shot on the last hole 20 metres short and then I chipped it in," Kim said. "I think that's pretty cool, in front of everyone."

Otherwise, Kim said, it was a straightforward day with plenty of birdie opportunities.

"I think I hit a lot of fairways, maybe missed one or two fairways, and then the shots I hit close, there were probably a handful so a lot of good birdie opportunities today," she said.

Stark also played without a bogey, picking up four strokes on the front nine before making two more birdies coming in – all despite the fatigue lingering in the wake of her runner-up finish to world No 1 Nelly Korda at the Chevron Championship near Houston on Sunday.

"I was so tired when I got here," Stark said. "I've barely been practicing, just did a little bit of what I needed to do."

Korda, whose victory in the first women's major of the year was her fifth in five starts – equalling an LPGA record – withdrew from this week's event on Monday saying she needed some rest in preparation for the rest of the season.

Grace Kim, who won the Lotte Championship in Hawaii last year, missed the cut at the Chevron but said a fresh approach had helped her on Thursday.

"If I was to compare my round today to last week, I really focused on just not having too much in my mind," she said. "I think I over-thought a lot of things through my first and second round last week and struggled a little bit mentally."

Chanettee claimed her share of second on 65 with a round that included seven birdies before her lone bogey of the day at the 16th.

Kim Sei-young, who won the most recent of her 12 LPGA titles in 2020, teed off late and charged up the leaderboard with four of her six birdies in a four-hole span from the 12th through the 15th.

American Auston Kim, South Korean Ryu Hae-ran and Russian Nataliya Guseva were two shots off the lead on 66 with defending champion Hannah Green of Australia a further stroke back alongside Bianca Pagdanganan of the Philippines and South Korean Amy Yang.

Charlie Woods, the 15-year-old son of 15-time major champion Tiger Woods, carded an 81 on Thursday to come up short in his bid to qualify for the US Open.

The teenaged Woods was among 84 entries in the local qualifier in Port St Lucie, Florida, where the top five advanced to 36-hole qualifying in June.

His score was five strokes better than he posted in an attempt to qualify for the US PGA Tour Cognizant Cup in February, but the nine-over round left him tied for 61st at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.

The USGA said Woods was among 10 084 golfers entering local qualifiers trying to gain one of 80 places in the field for the US Open at Pinehurst in June.

Sites in 44 US states and Canada are conducting 109 local qualifiers through 20 May.

Scottie Scheffler won the thing that counts the most – the green jacket – but Ludvig Aberg of Sweden and Xander Schauffele had nice consolation prizes in the Official World Golf Ranking standings.

Aberg's runner-up finish at the Masters on Sunday moved him up two spots to No 7 in the OWGR this week, another career best for the 24-year-old rising star.

Schauffele managed an eighth-place finish at Augusta and also rose by two spots, passing Jon Rahm and Wyndham Clark to get to No 3 in the world.

Schauffele finished the week 1 under and notched his 12th career top-10 at a major. He spent the first two rounds at Augusta playing with Scheffler and Rory McIlroy – a group that now encapsulates the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 players in the world ranking.

Rahm had not fallen in the OWGR since joining LIV Golf, which does not award rankings points for its events. The 2023 Masters champion made the cut this week but tied for 45th at 9 over. Clark, last year's US Open champ, missed the cut at Augusta.

Max Homa returned to the top 10 after tying for third, his best career finish at a major. Homa moved up two spots to No 9. Collin Morikawa also tied for third and jumped seven places to No 13, which is where he began the calendar year.

Then there is Tiger Woods, who finished 72 holes of an official event for the first time since the 2023 Genesis Invitational. Woods made his record 24th straight cut at the Masters before going 82-77 on the weekend and finishing 16 over, last of the 60 players to make the cut.

Still, it was enough for the 15-time major winner to jump 175 spots in the OWGR, from No 959 to No 784.

Scheffler remained No 1 for the 48th consecutive week and grew his lead over McIlroy to a whopping 6.3373 average points.

Rory McIlroy will have to wait another year for the chance to complete his career grand slam after a disappointing week at the Masters ended with a final round two-over 73 on Sunday.

Tee Times | Course Guide

World No 2 McIlroy heads out of Augusta National having finished on four over-par for the tournament, his second round 77 having effectively killed any chance of a bid to win the one major that has eluded him.

"I just sort of felt like my game was OK and managed it pretty well, but obviously Friday was a really tough day, and losing five shots sort of put me in a pretty difficult position going into the weekend," he said.

"Then the conditions were pretty tough. The greens are crusty and firm and hard to get the ball super close and hard to make a ton of birdies. Once you get seven or eight back going into the weekend here, it's hard to make up that ground," he added.

But McIlroy said that his Masters performance had not been a radical departure from his form so far this season.

"I guess it's more the same of what I've shown this year. It's not as if it's been a down week in comparison to the way I've been playing. It's just a matter of me trying to get my game in a bit better shape going towards the rest of the season," he said.

The Northern Irishman believes he isn't a huge distance away from the kind of golf that can start bringing him successes to add to his four major titles – that last of which came 10 years ago.

"All these disappointing weeks are 20ths, 25ths. They're not terrible weeks by any stretch, but there's a lot of room for improvement," he said.

"I'm close in some ways, but then I feel quite far away in others. Once I get one thing, sort of put that to bed, then another thing pops up, and it's just one of those at the minute.

"Just (missing) a little bit of control, I think, with the ball-striking, especially in those sorts of winds. It really exposes any weaknesses that you may have. That Friday definitely exposed a few things."

NO WHOLESALE CHANGE

"It's probably not the right time to be analytical at the moment, but I think as well if you're really going to make wholesale changes it's hard to play a lot of golf and make them at the same time.

"I don't feel like I need to make wholesale changes. That's why I'm playing a lot. But if the time comes that I need to make wholesale changes with my golf swing and really try to reassess, it could be a six-month to a year process," he said.

"Not saying I wouldn't play any tournaments in that time, but the focus would be on the sort of technical side of things and really not result driven at all. I don't think I'm there yet, but there may come a time where I need to address that and really go back to the drawing board," he added.

"But I think right now it's little tweaks here and there and managing my game. I really feel like I can sort of play my way into form here over these next few weeks," he said.

Canada's Maude-Aimee LeBlanc closed with three straight birdies in a bogey-free seven-under par 64 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead in the LPGA Seri Pak Championship in Los Angeles.

LeBlanc, seeking a first LPGA title was one stroke in front of American rookie Malia Nam, a former University of Southern California student golfer who made the most of her local knowledge in shooting a 65 on the par-71 Palos Verdes golf club course.

"I felt like I hit the ball really well today, and whenever I missed the green I was able to make up and down," said LeBlanc, who teed off on 10 and had two birdies before the turn.

She heated up coming in, following birdies at the first and third with birdies at the seventh, eighth and ninth to power to the top of the leaderboard.

"Made some really good saves and just kept the momentum going throughout the round," she said. "The putting was good as well.

Nam had five birdies and an eagle with one bogey in he six-under effort.

"You know, it's really nice to come back to a course that I'm really familiar with," said Nam, who said she played the course "probably over 100 times" as a collegiate golfer.

"It really helped today just knowing exactly what clubs I'm going to have in and how to prepare for this tournament as well," said Nam, who added that the course was "no easy track.

"I think it really helps if you're hitting the ball well, and that's what I was doing in my first nine," added the American who was six-under through her first seven holes.

"I was just like, oh, my God, the birdies just kept coming," she said, calling her even-par back nine "more melodramatic.

"Missed a few more really good short birdie opportunities. Overall (I) was having a pretty fun day."

Japan's Yuka Saso, Sweden's Madelene Sagstrom and Americans Alison Lee and Lauren Hartlage shared third on five-under 66.

Defending champion Yin Ruoning of China carded a one-under 70 that left her in a group sharing 28th place.

Yin won on the same course last year when the tournament was called the LA Open. This year it's been renamed in honour of new tournament host, South Korean LPGA Hall of Famer Pak Se-ri.

It's the first stop in the tour's return Stateside after an Asian swing.

World No 1 Lilia Vu, who was hampered by illness in Singapore and withdrew from the Blue Bay LPGA in China due to injury, carded a first-round 73.

Second-ranked Nelly Korda, making her first start since she won the LPGA Drive On Championship in January, opened with a 72.

Tiger Woods was listed in the field for next month's Masters on the tournament website on Thursday, the biggest sign yet that the 15-time major winner will compete at Augusta National.

The 48-year-old superstar was among 85 players listed in the field for the April 11-14 showdown rather than among the 17 listed as "past champions not playing" on the Masters website.

Woods, whose 82 career PGA Tour titles shares the all-time record set by Sam Snead, has not played since withdrawing from last month's Genesis Invitational at Riviera after the first round due to illness.

The former world No 1 has won five times in 25 Masters starts, taking the green jacket in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005 and in 2019 in his most recent major triumph.

Woods made the cut in his 23rd consecutive Masters start last year, tying Fred Couples and Gary Player for the longest such streak in tournament history, but he withdrew in the third round due to plantar fasciitis.

After undergoing ankle surgery last April to repair injuries from a 2021 car crash, Woods did not compete again until his Hero World Challenge invitational event in the Bahamas last December.

Woods has not finished four rounds at a major since the 2022 Masters, where he finished 47th in his comeback event after suffering severe leg injuries in the 2021 crash. He withdrew from the 2022 PGA Championship after three rounds and missed the cut at the 2022 British Open.

John Catlin carded the first sub-60 round in Asian Tour history on Saturday, his 11-under-par 59 catapulting him into the lead at the International Series Macau.

The American rolled home a curling, left-to-right 15-foot putt on the final green for an eagle three as he moved to 18 under par after three rounds.

"I never, never, never thought I'd shoot 59," said a delighted, but slightly stunned, Catlin.

He has a two-shot cushion over LIV Golf's Jason Kokrak, who carded an eight-under-par 62, at the top of the leaderboard at the $2 million event with one round to play.

Catlin, who was the Asian Tour player of the year in 2018, got off to a blistering start in his third round, draining six birdies for a front nine of 28 on the par-70 coastal layout at Macau Golf and Country Club.

He sank three more on the 11th, 13th and 17th before his beautifully judged eagle on the 564-yard, par-five 18th capped a historic round of golf.

"I didn't realise I shot 28 on the front nine so the magic number wasn't really in my head until the 17th," said Catlin.

"It's a 239-yard par three, downhill 41 yards, so you're not really trying to make a birdie.

"It actually got a little closer than I was trying," he smiled.

"I was able to bury that one and I figured, well, three down the last. And just hit two beautiful shots in there.

"The putt was a big, left-to-right swinger and I just happened to get the pace and the line right."

Sub-60 rounds are extremely rare in golf.

There have only been 12 on the US PGA Tour, one on the LPGA Tour, one on the European Tour, two in LIV Golf and until Saturday, none on the Asian Tour.

It was a remarkable return to form for Catlin, who has been in a slump since the end of 2022 and lost his DP World Tour card in 2023.

"After all I've been through in the last two years, it hasn't totally sunk in yet," said Catlin.

"You sacrifice a lot and you put in a lot. I definitely want to thank my coach, Noah Montgomery, he's been with me now for 10 years and he really helped me through it," said Catlin.

"I don't know where I'd be if I didn't have him in my corner," added Catlin, who was awarded a special invitation by the Asian Tour to play in Macau.

"We just kept pushing. And yeah, it's pretty, pretty special."

Kokrak's bogey-free 62 contained six birdies and an eagle.

"I didn't drive it quite as good as I did yesterday, but the putter cooperated," said Kokrak.

Overnight co-leader Jbe Kruger had a four-under 66 to lie three behind Catlin on 15 under, the same mark as Australia's Lucas Herbert who also had a 62.

But Spain's David Puig, who started the day joint top of the leaderboard, fell back with a scrappy 68 containing four bogeys, and now lies in a share of eighth place on 13 under par.

David Puig finished birdie-birdie on Friday to grab a share of the lead at the International Series Macau with Jbe Kruger.

One of 19 LIV golfers in the Asian Tour event, Spain's Puig had a second-round 64 to go with his opening 65 for an 11-under par total while Kruger is on the same mark after a flawless seven-under 63.

"I guess playing a lot in a row helps just to score better," said Puig, who is playing for a fourth straight week. "So hopefully I can keep doing the same this weekend and take the trophy home."

Kruger said it was his putter that kept him going, and bogey-free.

"I'm making putts, that's as much as I can say," said the South African.

"I'm not really hitting many fairways. But when it's on the green, I'm making them."

Puig and Kruger are one ahead of LIV's Mito Pereira, who is chasing a win that could help propel him to the 2024 Olympics.

Pereira followed his first-round 64 with a 66 to move to 10-under par, in a share of third place with Sweden's Bjorn Hellgren on a packed leaderboard.

The cut fell at four-under-par, leaving the whole field separated by only seven shots going into the weekend.

Pereira is currently 41st on the Olympic Golf Rankings, with the top 60 making it to the Paris Games.

Saudi-bankrolled LIV Golf has invested $300 million in the Asian Tour – which unlike LIV receives world-ranking points – leading to the creation of the International Series of 10 enhanced prize money events.

Also in the hunt is Carlos Ortiz, another LIV player, who is two off the leaders as he chases a berth in Paris.

The Mexican won the first Asian Tour International Series event in Oman three weeks ago and had a 66 Friday that took him to nine-under par.

"I'm really happy to be here and also trying to get some ranking points to get into the Olympics and then, maybe, some of the majors," Ortiz told AFP.

"It's the only way to get in, it's the only pathway we have right now and I'm taking advantage of it.

"I have to keep playing well and we don't have any way else to get points. It's just nice these guys letting us play, and you know, I appreciate it."

Also on nine-under alongside Ortiz are Japan's Yuta Sugiura and another LIV player, American Pat Perez, who both had three-under 67s.

Unheralded Swede Hellgren had a second consecutive 65 in the morning.

"Been putting quite well," said the 33-year-old Hellgren, who is yet to win on the Asian Tour.

The first-round leader, Li Haotong of China, had a wild day and finished with a 72 that featured a quadruple bogey eight, two sixes and five birdies as he dropped back to five-under for the tournament.

LIV Golf member David Puig won much more than a golf tournament on Sunday in Malaysia.

The 22-year-old from Spain qualified for the Open Championship this July at Royal Troon by prevailing at the IRS Prima Malaysian Open on the Asian Tour.

The tour's season opener outside Kuala Lumpur was part of this year's Open Qualifying Series.

Puig, South Korea's Jeunghun Wang and Thailand's Denwit Boriboonsub finished in the top three to qualify for the major.

Royal Troon awaits...

David Puig, Jeunghun Wang and Denwit Boriboonsub have all qualified for The 152nd Open, courtesy of their inspired performances at the IRS Prima Malaysian Open this week.🏆 pic.twitter.com/U7iFCtBc1M

— The Open (@TheOpen) February 18, 2024

Puig, in fact, nearly missed the cut before going 62-62 on the weekend. He finished 23 under, two ahead of Wang.

Puig was an All-American golfer at Arizona State before turning professional and joining LIV in late 2022.

He won his first professional event last October at the International Series Singapore, also on the Asian Tour.

He also qualified for the 2023 US Open and tied for 39th in his major debut.

Puig joined Sergio Garcia's Fireballs GC on the LIV circuit this season after playing for Torque in 2023.

The Open Qualifying Series will continue later this year with Royal Troon berths available to PGA Tour players at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Memorial Tournament, the RBC Canadian Open and the John Deere Classic. DP World Tour players will ha