Galitsky and Malixi Aim to Make Their Mark at Muirfield

Gullane, Scotland: Former Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) champion Eila Galitsky and ex-US Women’s Amateur winner Rianne Malixi spearhead a powerful Asia-Pacific contingent at this week’s 123rd Women’s Amateur Championship at Muirfield.

Thai Galitsky and Malixi of the Philippines are among 19 players from the region in the 144-strong starting line-up as The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers welcomes a world-class field.

Overall, there was a record 276 entries for the championship as Muirfield – host to The Open on 16 occasions and the venue for the AIG Women’s Open in 2022 – stages The Women’s Amateur for the first time from June 22-27.

Five of the top 10 in the women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) are competing in East Lothian, as well as 11 from the top 20 – including Malixi (10) and Galitsky (11). In total, players from 33 countries are represented in pursuit of one of the most coveted titles in the women’s amateur game.

From the Asia-Pacific there are six players from Australia (Jazy Roberts, Celine Chen, Lara Thomsen, Grace Rho, Sue Wooster and Kirra St-Laurent), four from Thailand (Galitsky, Butpapaporn Sukterm, Thanchanok Iadpleum and Chutimon Rujiranan), three from New Zealand (Vivian Lu, Caitlin Maurice and Carmen Lim) and one each from Chinese Taipei (Liao Hsin-chun), Hong Kong, China (Arianna Lau), Korea (Lee Jeong-hyun), Japan (Akane Motomura), the Philippines (Malixi), Singapore (Anne Fernandez).

Five are in the WAGR’s top-50 – Malixi, Galitsky, Hong Kong’s Lau (33rd), Australian Roberts (36th) and Korean Lee (37th). Another two are in the top-100, Japan’s Motomura (85th) and Thai Butpapaporn (89th).

For Galitsky, Lau and Lu it will be a happy reunion, the trio having been part of the triumphant Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) team in last year’s Patsy Hankins Trophy against the European Golf Association in the United Arab Emirates.

They are certain to be on the radar of non-playing APGC captain Joanne McKee as she starts to plot her line-up for the next edition of the Solheim Cup-style team match play event, scheduled for the United Arab Emirates in January, 2027.

Also aiming to make their mark at Muirfield are 63-year-old Australian Wooster, past winner of the APGC Senior Ladies Championship, and US-based Fernandez, fresh from making the cut at last week’s Singapore Ladies Masters on the China LPGA Tour.

The leading amateur at that event was Canadian Shauna Liu who ended in joint third place. Liu, 60th in the WAGR, will be among the favourites at Muirfield, along with world number three Farah O’Keefe and her American Curtis Cup team-mates Anna Davis and Jasmine Koo.

O’Keefe was runner-up to Spain’s Paula Martín Sampedro in an absorbing 2&1 defeat in last year’s Amateur Championship final at Nairn.

The Women’s Amateur Championship is one of the leading championships in amateur golf for women and girls’ golfers. The championship, founded in 1893, annually attracts an international field with an impressive list of former winners including McCormack Medal winner Leona Maguire and Major champions Georgia Hall and Anna Nordqvist.

The field will take part in stroke play on Monday and Tuesday (June 22-23) over 36 holes. From there, 64 players will advance to the match play stage from Wednesday to Saturday (June 24-27).

The winner will earn a place in four Major championships – The Amundi Evian Championship and AIG Women’s Open this summer as well as the Chevron Championship and the US Women’s Open in 2027. Also, by tradition, they’ll be granted a spot in next year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur as well as securing invitations to August’s Standard Portland Classic on the LPGA Tour and a Ladies’ European Tour event. The runner-up will gain a spot in Final Qualifying for the AIG Women’s Open.

The R&A will provide live stream coverage of the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final (plus highlights) on www.randa.tv and The R&A’s YouTube channel, with coverage also broadcast by Sky Sports.