LA Rams finally arrive in Melbourne, still confident in their unusual travel plan for 49ers clash

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams finally touched down in Australia just before dawn on Thursday, and they hope to head home before the sun sets Friday.

They'll have only about 36 hours in Melbourne between their 15-hour flights, but coach Sean McVay remains confident this unusual itinerary provides the Rams' best chance to open the regular season with a difficult win over the San Francisco 49ers.

“We’re well-rested. We feel good,” McVay said Thursday after the Rams' brief practice at Marvel Stadium, the retractable-roof venue just 3 1/2 kilometers from the game venue, the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

McVay added that many of his players “got to sleep through the night" on their journey from Los Angeles. "Guys were comfortable, and they seemed fresh. Get a good rest tonight, and be ready to rock tomorrow.”

Before the Rams face the 49ers at the 100,000-seat MCG in a game that kicks off at 10:35 a.m. local time, they spent their sole off-day in Melbourne resting, going through a light workout and attempting to get a slight flavor of the cosmopolitan city hosting the NFL's first regular-season game in Australia.

It's only a fraction of the experience enjoyed by the Niners, who have been in Australia for over a week. But the Rams decided months ago to eschew the fun parts of an international trip to focus on continuity, keeping their body clocks on California time and minimizing the distractions of international travel.

“Obviously, we would love to have the opportunity to connect with the fans out here a little bit more, but we did what we could (today), getting out and trying some coffee and getting out on the streets,” receiver Davante Adams said. “We had a chance to meet and see some of the fans, so we did as much as we could with our travel schedule.”

The Rams' strategy hasn't been well-received in Australia, where many fans expected more face time with a team attempting to build a support base as one of the NFL clubs designated for promotion in the country. McVay and the Rams' front office have heard the criticism, but it hasn't affected their belief in a travel strategy they first used last season for a game in London — albeit a much shorter trip from the U.S. East Coast than this journey across the Pacific.

“We wouldn’t do anything if we didn’t think it was best for our players,” McVay said. “I’m not saying we have all the answers, but we wanted to keep our guys in a normal rhythm and routine as long as possible, and we feel like (the plan) is going to be something that suits us well.”

Stafford knows the Rams' wisdom will be retroactively judged by how well they play against their NFC West archrivals. San Francisco has won 11 of the clubs' 19 meetings during the parallel coaching careers of McVay and Kyle Shanahan — and even though the Rams have won four of the last five, that loss was an embarrassing home upset handed out by a Niners roster missing most of its best players.

“It’s going to boil down to, how good do we feel tomorrow? I think we’re all going to feel really good. We’re excited to start a new season with a bunch of new guys, and go out there and attack the game. ... I think guys will be tired at the right time, and be ready to rock and roll in the morning.”

And if the Rams win again with their late travel strategy, Adams won't be surprised if other teams copy McVay's innovation in the future — just as they've done with so many aspects of his offensive schemes.

“They probably should," Adams said. “If it works, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. That's what they say.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Myles Garrett, centre, works out during a practice session for an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers., in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026.(AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman David Quessenberry, left, offensive lineman Warren McClendon Jr., centre, and offensive lineman Beaux Limmer, right, works out during a practice session for an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams, right, works out during a practice session for an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers., in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026.(AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, works out during a practice session for an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers., in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026.(AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

TOMARATA, New Zealand (AP) — Fifa Laopakdee of Thailand became the second player to win back-to-back in the Asia-Pacific Amateur with another Sunday comeback, this time without having to win in a playoff. He closed with a 1-under 70 for a three-shot victory.

That sends Laopakdee back to Augusta National in April for the Masters, along with a return trip to the British Open next summer at St. Andrews.

The 21-year-old Thai said he exchanged phone numbers at the last Masters with Justin Rose, who promised him a practice round if Laopakdee made it back.

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

Laopakdee, three shots behind with 10 holes to play at Te Arai Links, flipped the script in one hole when he hit his approach just over the false front to 7 feet for a birdie on No. 11, and Zack Swanwick of New Zealand shockingly took a triple bogey.

That four-shot swing took Laopakdee form a two-shot deficit to a two-shot lead, and the Arizona State senior didn't give Swanwick much of a chance to catch him.

Laopakdee effectively ended it with a wedge to 4 feet on the par-3 17th for one final birdie, stretching his lead to four shots. Swanwick, who began the final round with a two-shot lead over Laopakdee and Cooper Moore, didn't make a birdie until the par-5 closing hole. He shot 75.

Laopakdee joined Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama as the only players to win consecutive years since the Asia-Pacific Amateur began in 2009.

He repeatedly shook his fists when he tapped in for par on the 18th to finish at 6-under 278 at the wind-blown seaside course about an hour north of Auckland.

It was a tough ending for Swanwick, trying to become the first Kiwi to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur in front of a home crowd, in a year when New Zealand celebrated another major champion in Ryan Fox at Royal Birkdale.

Swanwick, a junior at Florida, had a two-shot lead going to the 11th hole when his 6-iron was a little strong and went into a back bunker. His shot came out a fraction too strong, rolled past the pin and then off the false front into a deep swale. His chip-and-run up the slope came back to his feet. The next chip barely stayed on the green and he missed then 8-foot putt to take triple bogey.

“Middle of the green, make par and get out of there,” Swanwick said. “I hit into the bunker, just flew the bunker shot a little too far and got a little too cute with the chip. Just had a few mistakes that cost me.”

Swanwick looked he might get it back on the par-5 13th into the wind. His second shot came up short and he pitched to 10 feet for a chance at birdie. Laopakdee drove into a sandy area, and only advanced the ball some 40 yards into more sand. He laid up, then hit wedge to 20 feet.

Laopakdee rolled in the long par putt, and Swanwick missed his birdie. Instead of a chance to tie for the lead, the Kiwi was still two behind. And on the short par-4 14th, Swanwick drilled driver onto the green, some 70 feet away. He rolled a putt over the ridge to about 8 feet, missed the birdie putt and the missed the 4-foot par putt. The four-putt bogey sent him three behind.

“It was tough luck for Zack on 11, it was super windy,” Laopakdee said. “I somehow hit a great second shot and made birdie and it created huge momentum for me.”

Kayun Mudadana of Australia closed with a 67 and finished alone in third at 2-under 282. Moore birdied the last hole for 75 and was another shot back. Only four players finished under par.

A year ago in Dubai, Laopakdee rallied from a six-shot deficit in the final round and won the Asia-Pacific on the third playoff hole.

Laopakdee, at No. 31 in the world amateur ranking, won the Desimone Invitational in early March at Lake Merced in San Francisco. But the rest of the year was a disappointment until Sunday.

“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.”

See AP’s full golf coverage here

FILE -Fifa Laopakdee, of Thailand, walks to green on the second hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)