Zara Anand leads India’s four-member challenge at Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific

Zara Anand will lead India’s four-member contingent at the eighth Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) Championship, which tees off this week at Royal Wellington Golf Club.

She is joined by Guntas Sandhu, Jia Kataria and Ananyaa Sood as India looks to make an impact at one of the region’s most prestigious amateur events.

Anand returns to the championship with added experience, having previously competed at the WAAP and consistently tested herself against professionals on the domestic circuit. Her exposure to high-level competition could prove crucial in a field packed with elite amateurs.

Sandhu also brings prior WAAP experience and has previously made the cut at the event, giving India another player familiar with the demands of the championship. Kataria and Sood, both making their WAAP debuts, will look to seize the opportunity on a global stage.

The stakes are significant. The winner earns exemptions into three women’s major championships in 2026 — the AIG Women’s Open, The Amundi Evian Championship and the Chevron Championship — along with invitations to leading amateur events worldwide.

The 84-player field represents 25 nations and includes 12 players ranked inside the top 50 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Malaysia’s Jeneath Wong will attempt to become the first two-time champion and the first to successfully defend the title.

Among the leading contenders are Korea’s Soomin Oh, last year’s runner-up and the highest-ranked player in the field, and former US Women’s Amateur champion Rianne Malixi of the Philippines.

Since its launch, the WAAP has become a key pathway event for Asia-Pacific’s leading women amateurs, and this week offers India’s quartet a chance to break new ground on one of the biggest stages in amateur golf.

Photo – LET / Zara Anand