Cool Malixi Maintains Hot Streak in Oklahoma

Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States: Rianne Malixi lived up to her pre-tournament billing as favourite with a brilliant opening-day showing at the 124th US Women’s Amateur Championship.

Recovering from a double-bogey six at the second hole, the 17-year-old from the Philippines posted a stunning four-under-par 67 at Southern Hills Country Club, a layout long renowned for its demanding test of golf and where birdies were hard to come by.

The last Major championship played at the iconic Tulsa venue was the 2022 PGA Championship, won by Justin Thomas with a final score of five-under – the highest winning score of a PGA Championship over the last 16 years.

In what is the USGA’s 10th trip to Southern Hills, and first since the 2009 US Amateur, Monday’s championship play saw just eight of the 156 players in the field finish the day under par, with an average score of 76.5.

With temperatures reaching 100 degrees around 4 pm, Malixi played in the harder, afternoon wave, but looked unshakable.

“The weather is quite familiar, similar to what it was at the Girls’ Junior, and I’ve experienced this a lot in Southeast Asia, so I’m able to focus and keep myself cool,” said Malixi, still on a high after her win at last month’s US Girls’ Junior.

“[Southern Hills] is a tough track. You have to miss it in the rights spots, and I was able to do that today.”

Malixi, who has committed to attend Duke University in the fall of 2025, struck back from her early double-bogey with five birdies, one eagle and one bogey. The highlight was on the par-five 16th where Malixi struck a perfect drive followed by a five-wood to five feet. She converted the putt for one of the day’s 12 eagles at the hole.

Three weeks ago at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, California, Malixi won 8&7 in the championship match, the most dominant 36-hole final match victory in championship history.

“I’m not used to it,” said Malixi of coming to the event as a USGA champion. “It’s so easy to not stay in the present this week, with all the attention I am getting. But I’ve managed to do a good job of staying in the moment and focusing on one shot at a time.”

American Kelly Xu, who this year won an NCAA Championship with the Stanford women’s golf team, took advantage of an early tee time to post a 68. Xu was off the golf course before the hottest part of the day and took advantage of the more tolerable conditions. It looked like her score would stand as the best of the day before Malixi went three-under over her last four holes.

Following 18-hole rounds of stroke play on August 5-6, the field will be cut to the top 64 players for match play. Five 18-hole rounds of match play will determine the finalists who will square off in a 36-hole championship match on August 11.

After the first round, Malixi is one of only four players from a 17-strong Asia-Pacific contingent inside the top-64.

China’s Xiao Kaili is tied for 18th on 72 with Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Huai-chen benefitting from having Candie Kung, the 2001 US Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship, acting as her caddie, in joint 34th on 74. Singapore’s Inez Ng is equal 51st on 75.

Among a large group who signed for 76s and are tied 67th are Wu Chun-wei, winner of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific in February, and Chinese Taipei compatriot Liao Hsin-chun, Korean Park Bo-hyun and Japan’s Momo Kamiya.

They are followed by Australian Justice Bosio and Hong Kong China’s Cathy Tong Wa-yueng (tied 80th, 77); China’s Liu Daozang and Hong Kong China’s Wu Siu-ee (tied 94th, 78); Chinese Taipei’s Lin Jie-en, China’s Victoria Liu Yanjun and Japanese Tsukiha Nakashima and Sera Hasegawa (tied 106th, 79) and Indian Avani Prashanth (tied 132nd, 81).