Singapore: On the back of a brilliant team performance, Japan ended its 20-year Queen Sirikit Cup title drought.

In sweltering conditions at Singapore’s Laguna National Golf Resort Club, Mizuki Hashimoto, Miku Ueta and Ayaka Tezuka gelled perfectly to secure their country’s first Asia Pacific Amateur Ladies Team Championship crown since 2002.

Beginning the final day with a one-stroke advantage, the Japanese posted a last-round score of five-under 139 thanks to a 68 from Ueta and a 71 from Tezuka. That gave them a 72-hole aggregate of 20-under 556 and a seven-shot victory from New Zealand.

Chasing a seventh successive win and a 13th triumph in the past 14 stagings of the event, the Korean trio of Lee Ji-hyun, Kim Min-byeol and Bang Shin-sil made a bold early charge. Eventually, though, they had to settle for third on 566.

Hosts Singapore, led splendidly by Shannon Tan, were fourth (567), followed by Chinese Taipei (570), Thailand (574), Australia and Malaysia (577), India (589), Hong Kong (600), the Philippines (611), Indonesia (613) and Myanmar (677)

Individual glory went to Hashimoto, the reigning Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific champion. Testament to the strength of the Japan team, her closing one-over 73 was omitted in the event in which the best two daily scores in each three-strong team are counted.

Nonetheless the buffer afforded her after a second-round 64 enabled her to post a total of nine-under 279 – one shot in front of Singapore’s Tan, whose solitary blemish in 72 holes came at the par-three 12th where she found water off the tee and ran up a double-bogey five.

“I never expected myself to finish second in the individual standings and also for Singapore to take fourth place. We have surpassed all expectations. A lot of that comes down to the support given to us by the various stakeholders. We’re really thankful for that,” said Tan.

Not one of the winning trio was born when Japan last hoisted the trophy at Malaysia’s A’Famosa Resort, the 2002 team made up of Ai Miyazato, Kyoko Furuya and Ayako Uehara.

“As a team we tried a new emphasis this week on recovery,” said 19-year-old Hashimoto, who has two more years of college ahead of her before she contemplates turning pro. “We usually practice in the afternoon after we finish our round. But because of the heat here we had a new plan – swim, relax and going to the gym to help our bodies recover.”

“This win is very special as we have managed to win the Queen Sirikit Cup again after 20 years. It’s a surreal feeling. I’m so happy. There were lots of expectations on me after I won the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship, and I’m pleased I was able to handle that pressure well and do well in Singapore,” added Hashimoto.

Jun Nagashima, Japan’s Team Captain, said: “It’s been a fantastic team effort. We didn’t expect to win. We were here to try our best and to help educate and develop our players as golfers and humans.”

Nagashima praised the High Performance programme instigated by the Japan Golf Association, evident from the back-up team that was brought to Singapore, headed by a physical trainer and swing coach Craig Bishop.

Following the Gala Dinner this evening, Nagashima said he was planning to take the team to the National Museum of Singapore. “It’s important they learn about the world and the different cultures,” he said.

Japan won the first two editions of the Queen Sirikit Cup in 1979 and 1980. They also triumphed in 1987, 1993, 1997 and 2002.

Laguna National Golf Resort Club is a Facility Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.