Avani Prashanth becomes India's first Queen Sirikit

Avani Prashanth has created history by winning the prestigious Queen Sirikit Cup golf tournament in 2023, becoming the first Indian golfer to achieve this feat. The Queen Sirikit Cup is one of the most prestigious women's amateur golf tournaments in Asia-Pacific. And winning it is a significant accomplishment for any golfer.

Also Read: Kenya Open 2023 Golf: From winning Junior Golf Championships to winning her fourth LET title Aditi Ashok ends five-year drought

The Indian team finished second in the competition for its best-ever finish of 43. With a total of 16-under, Avani Prashanth finished a record 10-strokes ahead of New Zealand's Fiona Xu (68-73-72-69). Fiona was six under for the week. While Local Filipino star, Rianne Mikhaela Malixi (68-73-68-74) and Korea's Hyunjo Yoo (70-71-71-71) tied for third at 5-under.

Avani Prashanth played a superb back nine with four birdies in the last eight holes, including the closing 18. Earlier she shot rounds of 68-66-70 in the first three days. Moreover, Highly rated in the Asia-Pacific region, Avani Prashanth helped India give the formidable Korean a run for her money, before settling for the second spot. Avani Prashanth produced the best performance of her young career. At the same time, her teammate Vidhatri Urs (74-77-72-74) finished tied-19th while Nishna Patel 303 (80-78-74-75) ended T30.

Meanwhile, in the team competition, South Korean teen stars Kim Min-sol, Yoo Hyun-jo, and Seo Kyo-rim once again showed their country's dominance in the tournament. A dramatic final day saw the Korean trio work hard to fend off a strong challenge from the Avani Prashanth-inspired Indian team.

Korea had a 72-hole team total of 12-under 564. They were five strokes away from India. The best two scores from each team were counted towards their score for the day. At the start of the day, Korea quickly extended its overnight lead from two shots to four. But by the eighth hole, India had reduced the deficit to just one, with Japan and Indonesia threatening to turn it into a four-horse race.

However, India's hopes of a maiden Queen's Sirikit Cup title faded. Nishna Patel (9th) and Vidhatri Urs (6) took six wickets in the par-four 10th. The Koreans were again four clear and won by five. Nevertheless, it was a major boost to the Indian amateur golfing scene.