Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific 2026: Guntas Kaur Sandhu shoots 71, emerges best Indian after round one
South Korea’s Yunseo Yang holds the lead at Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific 2026, with Guntas Kaur Sandhu trailing by seven strokes.
India’s Guntas Kaur Sandhu carded a one-under 71 at the Royal Wellington Golf Club in New Zealand on Thursday to emerge as the best Indian at tied 17th position after the opening round of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific 2026.
The tournament is hosted by The R&A (Royal & Ancient, Scotland), the world governing body for the rules of golf, in association with the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC).
Part of the four-member team sent by the Indian Golf Union (IGU), Guntas began on a modest note with a bogey on the first hole before sinking birdies on the third, eighth and 12th holes. But a bogey on the 15th hole pegged her back. She trails the leader Yunseo Yang of South Korea by seven strokes.
Other Indians in fray, Ananyaa Sood (2-over 74; Tied 42nd), Zara Anand (7-over 79; Tied 66th) and Jia Kataria (9-over 81; Tied 75th) had a disappointing first round.
Guntas Kaur Sandhu, ranked 545th in the world, had a remarkable domestic season winning four times on the IGU circuit, namely the Gujarat Ladies & Junior Girls Amateur, Eastern India Ladies & Junior Girls Amateur, Southern India Ladies & Junior Girls Amateur and the Maharashtra Ladies & Junior Girls Amateur Golf Championships. She finished third in the 2025 IGU All India Ladies & Junior Girls Amateur Championship.
Also Read: World Amateur Asia-Pacific 2026: Zara Anand leads four-member Indian team in New Zealand
Speaking about her round, Guntas said: “Royal Wellington is a challenging parkland course. I attacked the flags from the start but got mixed results today. I will draw inspiration from some of my good performances on the domestic IGU circuit tomorrow. Looking forward to a memorable outing here.”
The winner of World Amateur Asia-Pacific earns invitations to play in three major championships – the AIG Women’s Open, the Amundi Evian Championship and The Chevron Championship.
How did Guntas Kaur Sandhu perform in the opening round?
Guntas carded a one-under 71 at Royal Wellington Golf Club to finish tied 17th after the first round, making her the best-placed Indian in the field.
Who is leading the tournament after Round 1?
South Korea’s Yunseo Yang holds the lead, with Guntas trailing by seven strokes.
How did the other Indian golfers fare?
Ananyaa Sood shot 2-over 74 (T-42), Zara Anand returned 7-over 79 (T-66), and Jia Kataria carded 9-over 81 (T-75) in the opening round.
What has been Guntas Kaur Sandhu’s recent form?
Ranked 545th in the world, Guntas enjoyed an impressive domestic season, winning four IGU titles and finishing third at the 2025 IGU All India Ladies & Junior Girls Amateur Championship.
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Alex graduated in mass communication in 2016 and has been covering global sports for Khel Now since then. He is covering sports tech, igaming, sports betting and casino domain from 2017.