Is Guntas Sandhu the Top Indian Contender at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Golf?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Wellington, Feb 12 (NationPress) Guntas Kaur Sandhu from India recorded an impressive one-under 71 at the Royal Wellington Golf Club on Thursday, placing her as the highest-ranking Indian in a tied 17th position following the first round of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific. She started her round with a bogey but managed to finish Tied-17th.
Among her fellow Indian competitors, Ananyaa Sood scored 74, landing in Tied 42nd, while Zara Anand (79) ended up T-66, and Jia Kataria (81) was T-75.
As part of the four-member squad selected by the Indian Golf Union (IGU), Guntas faced a rocky start with a bogey on the first hole. However, she bounced back with birdies on the 3rd, 8th, and 12th holes before experiencing another bogey on the 15th, trailing the leader, Yunseo Yang of South Korea, by seven strokes.
This tournament is organized by The R&A (Royal & Ancient, Scotland), in collaboration with the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC).
Korean golfer Yunseo Yang showcased an exceptional performance with a series of birdies on the back nine, turning in a remarkable eight-under-par 64 without a single bogey.
Conditions were favorable for scoring, with calm breezes and greens running nearly at 11 on the stimpmeter, allowing 32 of the 84 players to shoot par or better.
In second place, just one shot behind, is Arianna Lau from Hong Kong, with Seojin Park from Korea sitting two strokes back in third.
Tied for fourth place with a score of 68 are Rianne Malixi, a former US Women’s Amateur champion from the Philippines, and Jazy Roberts, who won the recent Australian Amateur Championship.
Ranked 545th in the world, Guntas Kaur Sandhu has had a stellar domestic season, securing victories in four IGU events, including the Gujarat Ladies & Junior Girls Amateur, Eastern India Ladies & Junior Girls Amateur, Southern India Ladies & Junior Girls Amateur, and Maharashtra Ladies & Junior Girls Amateur Golf Championships. She also achieved third place in the 2025 IGU All India Ladies & Junior Girls Amateur Championship.
Reflecting on her round, Guntas remarked: “The Royal Wellington course is quite challenging. I aimed for the flags right from the start, but my results were mixed today. I plan to draw motivation from some of my strong performances on the domestic IGU circuit for tomorrow. I’m looking forward to an unforgettable experience here.”