Mannat Brar defeated Sarah Uebelhart of Switzerland to qualify for the Semi Finals
17-year-old Mannat Brar, the top-ranked golfer in the Indian Golf Union’s (IGU) Girls Category A rankings, made history by advancing to the semi-finals of the prestigious R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship at Alwoodley. Brar, representing Pune Golf Club, became the first Indian to reach this stage of the tournament, marking a significant milestone in Indian golf.
Brar secured her place in the semi-finals with a thrilling 1-up victory over Switzerland’s Sarah Uebelhart in a tense quarter-final match that went down to the final green. Later that same afternoon, Brar faced Matylda Krawczynska of Poland in the semi-finals, where her remarkable run ended with a 3 & 2 defeat. Despite the loss, Brar’s performance stands as the best-ever finish by an Indian in the history of the R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship. Previously, Avani Prashanth, the top-ranked Indian amateur in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), had reached the Round of 8 in 2022.
Brar’s journey to the semi-finals was marked by a series of impressive victories. She advanced to the quarter-finals after a dominant 6 & 4 win over England’s Annabel Peaford, the largest margin of victory in that round. This followed a dramatic 19th-hole playoff win against Annabel’s sister, Emily Peaford, in the earlier round, where Brar staged a remarkable comeback after being 3 down early in the match.
Her strong form was evident from the stroke play portion of the tournament, where she posted rounds of 70 and 72 to finish 7th at 2-under 142, setting the stage for her deep run in the match play rounds.
Zara Anand, the only other Indian to qualify for the tournament, also performed admirably. Ranked No. 2 on the IGU rankings, Anand advanced to match play with rounds of 73 and 77. She secured a convincing 5 & 4 victory over Wilson Elizabeth in the first round but was eliminated in the Round of 16 by France’s Celeste Bobo Lauret, with a 3 & 1 loss.
Brar’s stellar performance at the R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship adds to her growing list of achievements, including a runner-up finish at the 2023 Asia Pacific Juniors.
First contested in 1919, the R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship is a highly sought-after title in junior golf, with past champions including major winners and Solheim Cup players such as Anna Nordqvist, Suzann Pettersen, Azahara Muñoz, and Georgia Hall. More recently, Slovenia’s Pia Babnik, who won in 2019, has already made her mark on the Ladies European Tour.
The winner of this championship earns exemptions into several prestigious tournaments, including the Women’s Amateur Championship, the US Girls’ Junior Championship, Final Qualifying for the AIG Women’s Open, and traditionally, an invitation to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship.
The championship format involves two rounds of stroke play, after which the top 64 lowest scorers advance to six rounds of match play. Ties for 64th place are resolved by countback. All match play rounds are contested over 18 holes, with the final played over 36 holes. Extra holes are played, if necessary, to determine the winner of each match. Competitors must be under 18 years of age on January 1 of the championship year.
Photo – Southern Command Indian Army