India’s Guntas Kaur Sandhu opened with a steady one-under 71 at Royal Wellington Golf Club to sit tied for 17th after the first round of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship.
Starting with a bogey on the first, Sandhu recovered smartly with birdies at the third, eighth, and 12th holes. A dropped shot on the 15th slowed her momentum, but she still finished as the best-placed Indian in the field. She trails leader Yunseo Yang by seven strokes.
Other Indians in the field
Among the four-member team sent by the Indian Golf Union:
- Ananyaa Sood (74) – Tied 42nd
- Zara Anand (79) – Tied 66th
- Jia Kataria (81) – Tied 75th
Sandhu’s round was built on aggressive flag-hunting, a strategy she admitted produced mixed results on a demanding parkland layout.
“Royal Wellington is a challenging course. I attacked the flags from the start, but got mixed results today,” she said. “I’ll draw inspiration from my domestic performances tomorrow.”
Yunseo Yang sets the pace
At the top of the leaderboard, Yang delivered a clinical, bogey-free eight-under 64. Two under at the turn, the 18-year-old surged on the back nine with six more birdies to take early control.
Hong Kong’s Arianna Lau sits alone in second, one shot back, while Korea’s Seojin Park is third.
Sharing fourth on four-under 68 are Rianne Malixi, the former US Women’s Amateur champion, and Australia’s Jazy Roberts, fresh off her Australian Amateur Championship victory.
Strong scoring conditions
Played in light breezes with greens running close to 11 on the stimpmeter, scoring was brisk. Of the 84 starters, 32 players returned rounds of par or better.
Sandhu’s strong domestic form
Currently ranked 545th in the world, Sandhu arrives in Wellington on the back of a standout domestic season. She claimed four titles on the Indian Golf Union circuit:
- Gujarat Ladies & Junior Girls Amateur
- Eastern India Ladies & Junior Girls Amateur
- Southern India Ladies & Junior Girls Amateur
- Maharashtra Ladies & Junior Girls Amateur Golf Championship
She also finished third at the 2025 IGU All India Ladies & Junior Girls Amateur Championship.
With three rounds remaining, Sandhu remains well placed to mount a charge if she can convert early birdie chances and keep mistakes off the card.
