Agonising Extra-Time Losses for Peirce and Malixi

Los Angeles, United States: Caitlin Peirce and Rianne Malixi suffered agonising extra-time defeats as the Asia-Pacific region’s interest in the 123rd US Women’s Amateur was abruptly ended on Thursday.

Australian Peirce’s gutsy run at Bel-Air Country Club came to an end at the 19th hole of her Round of 16 clash with Megan Schofill, while Malixi of the Philippines was edged out on the 19th hole of her Round of 32 clash with Bailey Shoemaker.

Both had shown remarkable powers of recovery to reach as far as they did.

On Wednesday, Royal Adelaide Golf Club member Peirce battled back from two-down on the back nine of her Round of 64 match to win on the 18th hole.  

On Thursday morning she saw off the challenge of Casey Weldenfeld 3&1 in the Round of 32 before fatigue appeared to take its toll as she trailed after the first hole and fell to three-down through nine holes of her afternoon meeting with Schofill.

Although she reduced the deficit to one-down through 14, her prospects faded once more when Auburn University graduate student Schofill birdied 15 to go two-up.

Yet again, though, Peirce dug deep to win the 16th with a par and the 18th with a birdie to ensure the contest would be extended. It was the first time in the match she had not been playing catch-up.

While the momentum seemed to be in her favour, it was Schofill who prevailed with a birdie at the first extra hole, the par-five opening hole.

It was, nonetheless, a fabulous effort from Peirce, who arrived in the US on Sunday having represented the Asia-Pacific team against Europe in the Patsy Hankins Trophy in Spain.

In Los Angeles, she was the only non-American to reach the last 16, replicating her performance at last month’s British Women's Amateur Championship where she was also the leading Australian.

Malixi can also take great heart from her display, coming a month after she reached the final of the US Girls’ Junior championship.

Her match with Shoemaker followed a similar pattern to Peirce’s game with Schofill.

Malixi lost the opening hole to an eagle-three and was unable to get back on equal terms. When Shoemaker birdied the 12th to go three-up, the contest appeared over.

But Malixi won the 13th and 17th and was one-down as the duo went to the 18th where the Filipina made her third birdie of the day to go to all square.

However, for the second time in the match, the 490-yard par-five first hole proved unkind to Malixi. As she had done in the morning, Malixi could only manage a bogey-six, leaving the path clear for her opponent to win through.

Meanwhile, Rin Yoshida’s hopes of emulating her compatriot Saki Baba and winning the US Women’s Amateur, evaporated against Rachel Heck, a rising senior at Stanford University.

Heck fell two-down early to World Amateur Golf Ranking number 17 Yoshida but rallied for a 4&2 victory.

Before the start of the championship, Heck had only played one competitive round in nine months. Last fall, she was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome and had surgery in early March. In late July, she completed her 18-day Air Force ROTC field training – a 2½ week stretch in which she didn’t pick up a golf club or use her phone.

Heck said: “Going into the week I had absolutely no idea how it would go.  I didn’t think it would go too great at all considering it’s my first tournament back since October. I’m just grateful to be here. I’m soaking it all in and not putting too much pressure on myself. I felt super relaxed out there today, so I think that mindset has helped a lot.”