Malixi, 2 other Filipina golfers kick off drive in US Girls' Junior tiff

MANILA, Philippines – Rianne Malixi, who tied for fourth in last week’s Junior World in San Diego, goes all-out for a strong start in the afternoon wave as the US Girls’ Juniors reels off Monday (Tuesday, Manila time) in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Malixi is seeking to duplicate Princess Superal’s feat in 2014 when the latter nipped Mexico’s Marijosse Navarro on the 37th hole to become the first Philippine-born player to win a USGA-sanctioned event in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Armed with superb all-around game and passion to excel, the ICTSI-backed Malixi sets out at 12:37 p.m. on No. 10 of the Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed championship course, hoping to get going early against Amelie Zalsman and Molly Smith, both of the US in the 36-hole stroke play elims and build the confidence and drive needed when play shifts to match on Wednesday.

Other Filipinas in the fold are Grace Quintanilla, who clashes with Americans Grace Engel and Madison Messimer at 7:33 a.m., and US-based Stevie Umali, who plays alongside Jeneath Wong of Malaysia and Ava Salay of the US at 1:21 p.m., both at the backside of the military layout, hosting a USGA event for the first time.

The starting field of 156 from a record 1,677 bidders from around the world will fight it out for the Top 64 slots for the knockout phase with defending champion Yana Wilson of the US seeking to become only the fourth player to score back-to-back in 74 years.

Nine players who saw action in the recent US Women’s Open banner the stellar cast, including Wilson, Canada’s Lauren Kim, Taiwanese Huang Ting-Hsuan, a former Asia Pacific Women’s Amateur champion, Anna Davis, Wong, Farah O’Keefe, Angela Zhang and Kaili Xiao and Chizuru Komiya.

The US Girls’ Junior also serves as part of Malixi’s buildup for the US Women’s Amateur on August 7-13 at the Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles.