Zara finished 7th in Japan this week
The 3-member Indian ladies amateur team delivered a creditable 5th-place showing at the 45th annual Asia-Pacific Amateur Ladies Golf Team Championship, named as the Queen Sirikit Cup, in Miyazaki, Japan. Held from May 13-16, the team was led by 16-year-old Zara Anand from Delhi, who put together a commendable four-day total of 2-under 286 (73-71-72-70) to finish 7th in the individual standings.
India’s other team members—Mannat Brar from Pune and Heena Kang from Chandigarh—finished Tied-19th and Tied-21st, respectively. With the tournament format counting the best two daily scores towards the team tally, Zara’s consistency over four rounds proved vital.
(L-R) Mannat Brar, Zara Anand, and Heena Kang
This fifth-place team finish is India’s third-best result in Sirikit Cup history, following a runner-up finish in 2023 that came on the back of Avani Prashanth’s historic individual title, and a fourth-place showing earlier.
The event, however, was dominated once again by Korea, who claimed their record 24th Queen Sirikit Cup title, posting a remarkable 32-under 544. This surpasses the previous best four-round winning score of 556 by Japan in 2022. Korea’s winning margin of 15 shots over second-placed Thailand (17-under 559) and 21 shots over host nation Japan (11-under 565) reasserts their domination in Asian women’s golf.
Individually, 16-year-old Soomin Oh of Korea, ranked No. 14 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), successfully defended her title with a 21-under 267 total to finish a staggering 11 shots clear of Thailand’s Prim Prachnakorn. Oh’s performance sets her apart as one of only five players to have won the individual honours twice, and just the second to do so in back-to-back editions, following fellow Korean Park Hyung-kung who achieved the feat in 2015 and 2016.
Her teammates Hong Sumin and Min Seo Jung also finished strongly, both tied for third at 6-under 282, with Japan’s Aira Nagasawa.
In his closing remarks, Taimur Hassan Amin, Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), acknowledged the collaborative efforts in hosting the championship:
“On behalf of the APGC, I’d like to thank tournament founder Rae-Vadee T. Suwan, The R&A, the Japan Golf Association (JGA), and the staff and management at the Tom Watson Golf Course for their support in organising the Queen Sirikit Cup in 2025.”
As one of the premier amateur events in women’s golf across Asia-Pacific, the Queen Sirikit Cup continues to provide a vital competitive platform for India’s amateur women golfers, and this year the Indian girls acquitted themselves quite well by finishing ahead of other strong teams.
View full results here: 45th Queen Sirikit Cup