Thailand's Fifa Laopakdee staged another impressive final-round comeback on Sunday to become only the second golfer to win consecutive Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship titles, securing places at next year's Masters and the British Open.

The 21-year-old finished with a 1-under-par 70 for a three-shot victory at Te Arai Links, recording a four-round total of 6-under 278 on the wind-swept coastal course north of Auckland.

His victory earned him another appearance at Augusta National for the Masters in April, as well as a place at the British Open next summer at St Andrews.

Laopakdee said he had exchanged phone numbers with Justin Rose during this year's Masters, and the English golfer had promised to play a practice round with him if he qualified again.

"Rosey, see you at a practice round for the Masters," Laopakdee said with a smile.

The Thai golfer was three shots behind with 10 holes remaining when a dramatic turnaround on the 11th hole changed the contest.

Laopakdee hit his approach shot to within seven feet and converted the birdie, while New Zealand's Zack Swanwick suffered a costly triple bogey. The four-shot swing transformed Laopakdee's two-shot deficit into a two-shot lead.

The Arizona State senior maintained control and strengthened his advantage with another birdie on the 17th, where he placed his wedge shot within four feet of the hole.

Swanwick, who began the final round two shots ahead of Laopakdee and Cooper Moore, struggled to recover and finished with a 75. He managed his first birdie of the day on the final hole.

The New Zealander had been hoping to become the first home golfer to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur in front of local supporters.

His hopes suffered a major setback on the 11th after his approach shot landed in a bunker. A series of difficult recovery shots and a missed eight-foot putt resulted in a triple bogey.

"Middle of the green, make par and get out of there," Swanwick said, reflecting on the costly hole. He added that several mistakes had affected his performance.

Laopakdee said the strong winds made the conditions difficult but praised his approach shot on the 11th for creating the momentum that helped him secure the victory.

With the win, Laopakdee joined Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama as the only players to claim consecutive titles since the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was introduced in 2009.

Australia's Kayun Mudadana finished third at 2-under 282 after carding a 67, while Moore took fourth place, one shot further behind. Only four golfers finished the tournament under par.

Laopakdee had also produced a remarkable comeback last year in Dubai, overcoming a six-shot final-round deficit before winning in a playoff on the third extra hole.

Currently ranked 31st in the world amateur rankings, he won the Desimone Invitational in San Francisco in early March but described much of the remaining season as disappointing.

"This is one of the last events of the year, and I wanted to prove to myself that I've still got it," he said. "To pull it off, it means the whole world to me."