The Mexico Open didn’t match the dramatic finish at Vidanta Vallarta last year, when Andrew Novak seemed to channel Tiger Woods. Still, it’s hard to complain about a player getting hot and earning his first solo PGA Tour title.
Teenager Blades Brown also played in Mexico, finishing tied for 19th. While he was there, an unverified—and pretty entertaining—story about his team began circulating. It involved swords, knighthood and meetings at a round table.
Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific Amateur was held at Te Arai Links in New Zealand. The course looked almost otherworldly, and Fifa Laopakdee successfully defended his title, securing an invitation to the Masters for a second straight year.
Novak arrived in Mexico after a quiet 2026 season. He missed the cut in three of the four majors and at The Players Championship, and had recorded only two top-10 finishes in 25 individual starts.
Then something changed. After opening with a 67 and sitting five shots off the lead, Novak produced two remarkable rounds, shooting 61 and 62. He led the field in strokes gained putting in both rounds, picking up more than 5.6 strokes on the greens on Friday alone. His 19-under total over the next 36 holes opened a sizable gap, and he eventually won by five.
Steven Fisk and Kristoffer Ventura each closed with a 63 but still finished five shots back. That must have been a tough result to take.
Novak also won the 2025 Zurich Classic with Ben Griffin. His latest victory moved him to 53rd in the FedEx Cup Fall standings. A top-50 finish matters: players in that group earn places in full-field and signature events in 2027.
Brown has made an unusually quick rise in golf. He skipped college, turned professional as a teenager and earned his PGA Tour card before turning 20. Reaching that level takes a strong team, and an unverified story suggests Brown may have a rather unusual way of bringing people into his circle.
Andy Johnson of The Fried Egg shared the rumor on a recent episode of The Shotgun Start podcast, while stressing that he couldn’t confirm it. According to the story, anyone joining Brown’s team—including his coach, trainer or agent—must be knighted and given a sword. The group supposedly discusses Brown’s affairs around a round table.
Johnson added that Callaway equipment representative Mike Sposa had also received a sword. Brown’s parents are said to handle the knighting, which makes the tale slightly less awkward, though no less amusing.
The Asia-Pacific Amateur changed locations, moving from Dubai to New Zealand, but its champion stayed the same. Thailand’s Laopakdee won by three shots at Te Arai after opening the tournament with an impressive 63.
His victory earned him invitations to the 2027 Masters and the Open Championship at St Andrews. That’s quite a pair of events to add to the schedule of an Arizona State student.
Laopakdee said he was especially proud of the win because he had kept believing in himself through a difficult year. He hadn’t won anything since March, he explained, but continued reminding himself that he still had the ability to compete. He also credited his friends, family, coaches and teammates for supporting and pushing him.
Laopakdee missed the cut at both the Masters and the Open last year. With another season of experience and a successful title defense behind him, it will be interesting to see how he fares on those big stages this time.
