Filipina golfers kick off drive for Q Sirikit Cup breakthrough

MANILA, Philippines – Rianne Malixi can’t wait to get going, Mafy Singson is so keen on setting out on the course she calls home, and Lois Kaye Go is upbeat despite a missed cut stint in Thailand last week.

The Philippines is actually not in the short list of favorites in the 12-team cast vying in the Queen Sirikit Cup unwrapping Tuesday at Manila Southwoods’ Masters course. But with the troika’s talent, skills and local knowledge of the hazard-laden par-72 layout, the hosts aren’t just looking to measure up with the likes of defending champion Japan, multi-titled Korea and a solid New Zealand side in the next four days.

They are also ready to end the country’s long title drought in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Ladies Golf Team Championship.

“I’m confident and mentally prepared for this,” said Malixi, excited over her role as Phl team spearhead in her first foray in the Queen Sirikit Cup.

Singson has been training at Southwoods for weeks under the watch of swing coach Bong Lopez, making her A-ready in a test of shotmaking, iron game and putting, while long-time national team standout Go is confident and armed to the teeth coming off a tough pro tournament in Thailand.

The Philippines has hosted the annual championship, which has produced a number of golfing greats, including Thai ace Atthaya Thitikul and Aussie Minjee Lee, the reigning US Women’s Open champion, three times, the last in 2007 at The Country Club where it placed second but lost by 20 strokes to powerhouse South Korea.

Dottie Ardina however, nailed the individual crown in India in 2011, where the Phl also finished second, losing by just four, also to Korea.

After placing fourth in Singapore and in Taiwan in 2012 and 2013, the Phl finished third in Malaysia in 2014, lost by 14 to Korea in Hong Kong in 2015, wound up third in Korea in 2016, limped to sixth in China in 2017, ended up fourth in Thailand in 2018, wound up 10th in Australia, and turned in its worst finish of 11th in Australia last year.

But there’s no way to go for the hosts but up and Malixi, Singson and Go hope to complement each other’s game in all four days to put the country in title contention.

The field, however, looks daunting with six of the top 40 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking participating, headed by world No. 5 Yuna Araki, who will backstop the Japanese squad made up of last year’s winning members Mizuki Hashimoto, the world No. 15 and the defending individual champion, and Miku Ueta.

World No. 16 Kim Min-sol, on the other hand, heads the vaunted Korea side out to reclaim the crown it held for six straight years from 2014. Kim won the Korea Girls’ Junior and the Song Am Cup titles last year and placed 10th in the LPGA Tour’s BMW Ladies Championship. She also saw action in the US Women’s Open and Women’s Australian Open.

China, meanwhile, will bank on No. 31 Zhang Yahui in its attempt to score a breakthrough in the event, like the Philippines, with the 17-year-old winner of China LPGA Tour’s CTBC Zhuhai Challenge hoping to draw solid backup from Tong An and Zixin Ni.

Focus will also be on Chinese-Taipei, to be led by Huang Ting-hsuan, who is using this event as her final tuneup for her defense of the crown in the Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific set in Singapore next month where the Queen Sirikit Cup’s top draws, including the Pinay bets, are also seeing action.