Rianne Relishing Start of 'Real Game' at Women’s Amateur

Muirfield, Scotland: Rianne Malixi has raced into the match play segment at the 123rd Women’s Amateur Championship.

Winner of the US Women’s Amateur two years ago, the 19-year-old from the Philippines is now focused on adding another of the amateur game’s most prestigious titles to her trophy cabinet.

“The first two days, it’s about qualifying,” said Malixi who followed up her opening 69 at Muirfield on Monday with a three-under-par 68 in round two to finish joint second with American world number three Farah O’Keefe in the 36-hole stroke play. They were one stroke behind England’s Lily Hirst, who topped the leaderboard on 136.

“The real game starts tomorrow (Wednesday) with match play. So, we’ll see how that goes,” added World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) number 10 Malixi, who faces a stern test in the Round of 64 having been drawn against Spaniard Cayetena Fernandez, world number 39.

Malixi said: “I won the US Women’s Amateur two years ago, so trying to win this week is a motivation, for sure. But I’m taking it one shot at a time. Anything can happen in match play. I’ll just do the best that I can.”

Reflecting on her second-round 68, she added: “I was quite steady today. I didn’t hit the driver as good as yesterday. I hit a few more in the bunkers off the tee, but I just took my medicine and went on. Then I had some really good approaches to make some birdies that was really needed.

“The wind was blowing a little bit harder on the back nine. I think getting a feel for how the course is playing in the wind is really important coming into match play.” 

Malixi is one of six players from the Asia-Pacific region who finished among the top-64 players in stroke play to make it through to the match play phase.

Australian Jazy Roberts, Chinese Taipei’s Liao Hsin-chun and Hong Kong, China’s Arianna Lau were among those tied for 18th on even-par 142.

Kirra St-Laurent (143) and fellow-Australian Grace Rho (144) qualified in joint 26th place and equal 38th respectively.

In the first round of match play, Liao will take on Rho, while Roberts faces Carla De Troia of France.

Lau and St-Laurent both have American opponents with Lau against Kylie Chong and St-Laurent challenging Maye Huang.

Korean Lee Jeong-hyun (147) suffered the disappointment of failing to progress by one shot with Thai Butpapaporn Sukterm (148) a further stroke back.

Akane Motomura, winner of The Royal Junior in her native Japan in April, New Zealand’s Caitlin Maurice and Australian Celine Chen all posted two-day totals of 149, followed by Singaporean Anne Fernandez (150), New Zealand’s Carmen Lim (151), Australian Lara Thomsen (152), Thais Chutimon Rujiranan (153) and Thanchanok Iadpleum (159), New Zealand’s Vivian Lu (166) and Australian Sue Wooster (171), a past Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Senior Women’s winner.

The qualifying cut mark fell at four-over-par 146 with a play-off determining the last places. Canada’s Shauna Liu, tied for third in last week’s Singapore Ladies Masters on the China LPG Tour, was among the successful players to navigate the play-offs.

The winner of this year’s Women's Amateur championship gains entry to the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, the US Women’s Open presented by Ally, The Amundi Evian Championship, the Chevron Championship and, by tradition, will earn an invitation to compete at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. 

The R&A will provide live stream coverage of the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final (plus highlights) on R&A TV and The R&A’s YouTube channel.