Magnificent Malixi Powers to US Girls' Junior Title

Tarzana, California, United States: Rianne Malixi of the Philippines powered her way to victory in the 75th US Girls Junior Championship, overwhelming American Asterisk Talley 8&7 in the 36-hole championship match at El Caballero Country Club.

The 17-year-old Malixi, a stalwart of the junior and amateur game in Asia over the past four years, is only the second Filipina to win the prestigious championship, joining Princess Superal who triumphed at Forest Highlands in 2014.

The victory was especially sweet for Malixi as she had come agonisingly close to winning last year at the United States Air Force Academy Eisenhower Golf Club in Colorado Springs, losing one-down in the final to Kiara Romero.

“It's huge, I know. It's hard for me to comprehend right now because everything just came in so quickly. I know being USGA champion means a lot. Being able to do that is a huge honour for me and I'm very grateful," said Malixi, who began the week in 19th place in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

“It was such a heartbreak last year because I was so close. After that US trip I just practiced a lot. I spent a lot of hours training in Manila. I sacrificed a lot of my social time, school time. Not only me, but my dad (Roy) also sacrificed a lot of time for me just to accompany me. My family had their share of sacrifices and I'm just really grateful for everything,” added Malixi, a contender at the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific and The Royal Cup in 2023 and this year.

From the moment Malixi arrived in Southern California, there was a purpose and drive in the diminutive dynamo. There was confidence in her gait as she rolled to joint second place seed in stroke play. Malixi’s focus never wavered as she eliminated foe after foe in the match play segment, including an impressive 3&2 semi-final triumph over Jasmine Koo of the United Sates, the highest-ranked player in the field at seven in the WAGR.

In Saturday’s championship match against 15-year-old Californian Talley in sweltering heat, Malixi performed as if her name had already been engraved on the Glenna Collett Vare Trophy. Her stunning 8&7 victory over the 2024 US Women’s Amateur Four-Ball champion was the largest in championship history. Nancy Lopez (1974) and Michelle McGann (1987) each registered 7&5 decisions back when the final was contested over 18 holes.

The victory earns Malixi a spot in the 2025 US Women’s Open Presented by Ally at Erin Hills, where she hopes to play a practice round with two-time US Women's Open champion Yuka Saso and current world number one Nelly Korda. Saso won the US Women’s Open in 2021 representing the Philippines and captured the title again this June representing Japan.

“It's huge, I know. It's hard for me to comprehend right now because everything just came in so quickly. I know being USGA champion means a lot. Being able to do that is a huge honour for me and I'm very grateful," said Malixi, who plans to join Duke University in the fall of 2025.

“It was such a heartbreak last year because I was so close. After that US trip I just practiced a lot. I spent a lot of hours training in Manila. I sacrificed a lot of my social time, school time. Not only me, but my dad (Roy) also sacrificed a lot of time for me just to accompany me. My family had their share of sacrifices and I'm just really grateful for everything.”

Malixi had arguably one of the best days of her career in Saturday's final, registering 14 birdies in 29 flawless holes of golf. In the morning 18, she shot the equivalent of nine-under 62 – with the usual match-play concessions – in taking a six-up lead into the lunch break. 

Talley came out firing after the break with three birdies over the first four holes but could only cut the margin to five-down. Malixi won the 25th and 27th holes to take a seven-up lead and closed it out two holes later with a par after Talley’s recovery shot from a greenside bunker sailed well past the flag into rough.

For Talley, it was an emotional loss as the US National Junior Team member was attempting to become just the fourth woman to win multiple USGA titles in the same year following Pearl Sinn (1988), Jennifer Song (2009) and Seong Eun-jeong  (2016).

“I'm proud of myself for how I played this week, but I made too many mistakes out there today. I tried to turn it around [second 18] but I was too far away, and I couldn't reach her. She was playing too well. She played her butt off today and I couldn't do anything,” said Talley.

Malixi only trailed for three holes the entire week, and that was in her semi-final win over Koo. She also only needed 107 holes to win the title, the second fewest in the 36-hole, championship-match era that began in 2006.

Malixi also receives exemptions into all remaining US Girls’ Junior Championships for which she is eligible, the 2024 and 2025 US Women’s Amateur Championships, and the LPGA Tour’s 2025 JM Eagle LA Championship at El Caballero. She will also likely receive an invitation to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.