Fighting fifth place for India as Korea dominate Sirikit Cup, Zara Anand is seventh

Zara Anand continued her fine display at the 45th Queen Sirikit Cup to bring in a seventh-place finish at the Amateur Ladies Asia-Pacific Invitational Golf Championship in Miyazaki, Japan, on Friday and inspired India to fifth position in the concurrent team event at the Phoenix Seagaia Resort’s Tom Watson Golf Course. 

South Korea’s defending champion Soomin Oh, 16, flattened the field to win her second successive crown by a thumping 11-stroke margin from Thailand’s Prim Prachnakorn, with fellow-Korean Hong Sumin taking the bronze medal. 

Zara was solid through the 72 holes of the tournament with scores of 73, 71, 72 and 70 on the par-72 course for a tournament aggregate of 2 under par 286. Mannat Brar (77-70-78-72, 297) and Heena Kang 76-78-70-74, 298) will come away richer from the experience of the competition and the high level of the opponents in the field. 

Collectively, India (2 under 574) took fifth place in the team event, finishing five strokes behind China (7 under 569), while South Korea (32 under 544), Thailand (17 under 559) and Japan (11 under 565) took the podium places. 

On Friday, Zara dropped an early bogey but recovered with three birdies before the turn. On her inbound nine, she swapped bogey for birdie to cap an excellent tournament with a 2 under par 70 closing card. 

At the top, Oh was unstoppable with scores of 69, 67, 62 and 69 for a tournament aggregate of 21 under 267. Her victory also extended South Korea’s recent dominance of the Queen Sirikit Cup. The budding star is the second back-to-back winner of the individual title, along with fellow-Korean Park Hyung-kung (2015, 2016), the event website said. 

Oh is also only the fifth overall to win the Queen Sirikit Cup more than once, behind Japan’s Miki Oda (1980, 1982) and Koreans Han Hee-won (1994, 1996) and Kim Hyo-joo (2010, 2012). 

With Jung Min-seo and Hong Su-min lending good support, Korea sealed their 15th team title in the last 17 years, missing out only in 2013 and 2022, the first time the tournament was held over four days. Korea’s winning total of 32-under 544 was comfortably better than the 556 Japan posted for victory in 2022. 

The top three in the team competition were followed by China (569), India (574), Australia (583), Hong Kong, China (589), Chinese Taipei and Singapore (both 591), Malaysia (593), Indonesia (604), Vietnam (622) and the Philippines (627). 

Taimur Hassan Amin, Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, said: “Congratulations to the Korean team of Oh Soo-min, Jung Min-seo and Hong Su-min for their outstanding play. They are worthy champions. 

“The Queen Sirikit Cup is more than just a competition – it is a celebration of the game and an opportunity for young golfers to forge friendships, gain experience, and take their next steps toward a bright future in the sport. 

“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 staff and management at the Tom Watson Golf Course for their efforts in hosting and supporting the Queen Sirikit Cup in 2025.” 

Final round team scores

• 544 – Korea (139-133-133-139)
• 559 – Thailand (143-142-139-135)
• 565 – Japan (138-140-144-143)
• 569 – China (146-138-141-144)
• 574 – India (149-141-142-142)
• 583 – Australia (150-148-141-144)
• 589 – Hong Kong, China (147-145-147-150)
• 591 – Singapore (147-147-147-150); Chinese Taipei (151-147-142-151)
• 593 – Malaysia (151-149-146-147)
• 604 – Indonesia (150-143-151-160)
• 622 – Vietnam (149-158-157-158)
• 627 – Philippines (158-156-157-156)