{"id":39660,"date":"2026-07-18T00:26:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T00:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/18\/thai-golfer-named-fifa-laughs-at-soccer-rink-while-playing-at-british-open\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T00:26:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T00:26:23","slug":"thai-golfer-named-fifa-laughs-at-soccer-rink-while-playing-at-british-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/18\/thai-golfer-named-fifa-laughs-at-soccer-rink-while-playing-at-british-open\/","title":{"rendered":"Thai golfer named FIFA laughs at soccer rink while playing at British Open"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) – Shouts in support of FIFA went up around the Royal Birkdale rink this week.<\/p>\n

No, we are not a highly supervised soccer organization.<\/p>\n

Instead, they were addressed to Thai university students with memorable names and who had just experienced a memorable week at university. british open<\/span>.<\/p>\n

OK, FIFA’s Laopakdee shot an 80 on Friday and missed the cut, but he stands out in this corner of north-west England, not least because of the playful nickname his soccer-loving father Peter gave him as a baby, in keeping with Thai culture.<\/p>\n

According to 21-year-old Raopakdee, it was a choice between two names. One is FIFA, named after the World Football Organization, and the other is UEFA, named after the European football governing body.<\/p>\n

FIFA agreed, and as the golfer’s career progressed, he would continue to call himself by that name rather than his real first name, Bongsa Park.<\/p>\n

“I think if you use FIFA when you turn professional, you’ll be more memorable,” he said. “People seem to remember my name more.”<\/p>\n

So what does he think about having the same name as Gianni Infantino’s football organization? This football organization sometimes attracts headlines for the wrong reasons – for example. World Cup currently in progress<\/span> Is it happening in North America?<\/p>\n

“They’ve been called dictators, cheaters, stagers, corrupt, etc., but I think that’s funny because I’m a big football fan,” he said. “I think it’s very interesting.”<\/p>\n

Laopakdee, who supports English soccer team Chelsea, attends Arizona State University and is playing in the Open after winning last year’s Asia Pacific Amateur Championship. This also secured him a spot in this year’s Masters, but he sat out the weekend after posting rounds of 80 and 75.<\/p>\n

What he has experienced over the past three months has been life-changing.<\/p>\n

“It’s certainly a great opportunity for me to feel this pressure, accept this pressure, and have the opportunity to represent Asia’s amateurs and play in this tournament,” he said. “It’s a great honor. I can’t wait to come back.”<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP golf: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/golf<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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