The Masters is underway at Augusta National this week, and there's a name there who may be familiar to football fans.
An ex-pro turned to golf, maybe? Gareth Bale upped his game since retirement?
Er, not quite.
Thai golfer at the 2026 Masters named after FIFA
No, in actual fact, there's a golfer at this year's Masters named after football itself – or more accurately, the game's chief organisers.
Fifa Laopakdee, on first glance, may perhaps look like a traditional name from another culture, but the 21-year-old's nickname is based in football.
Fifa Laopakdee from Thailand has qualified for the Masters and The Open next year by making birdie on the first 3 playoff holes to win the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship. He started the day 6 shots back and is now the first Thai player to ever win the title! 🙌🇹🇭… https://t.co/dzlDPrQT2ROctober 26, 2025
Laopakdee – whose real first name is Pongsapak, but he is competing as Fifa – explained that it comes from his dad's love for the game.
"My dad is a huge soccer fan, and he was choosing between Fifa from FIFA World Cup and Uefa from UEFA Champions League," the promising golfer revealed.
"So luckily it ends up with Fifa!"
His father, Peter, a golf teacher, said: "Fifa enjoyed a typical childhood. He played golf simply for fun and laughter.
"We never pressured him toward a specific sport. But with golf clubs around the house, he grew to learn about the equipment within his reach, leading Fifa to fall in love with the sport that was already a part of our daily lives."
Fifa qualified for the tournament for the first time after winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur in Dubai last year, the first-ever Thai champion.
He ended day one in 82nd on the leaderboard, so still has work to do at the top table, but he's never likely to be short of a conversation starter.
And who knows, when his golf career is done, maybe he's destined for a life in football administration instead? It is, after all, in the name.
