Queen Sirikit Cup: Putting woes hound Malixi as Indian sizzles at the finish

MANILA, Philippines – Rianne Malixi lost her putting touch coming off a scrambling frontside stint, muffing four birdie chances and three-putting No. 15 as she hobbled with a 73 and slipped to joint second with two others halfway through the Queen Sirikit Cup at Manila Southwoods Wednesday.

India’s Avani Prashanth turned what had been a furious battle for the individual lead with a mind-boggling closing birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie run as she put in a 66 to pull away by seven over first day co-leaders Malixi and Fiona Xu of New Zealand, and Hyunjo Yoo with a 36-hole aggregate of 10-under 134.

Malixi, impressive with her lead-tieing 68 Tuesday, Yoo and Xu matched 141s after the Korean shot a 71 and the Kiwi equaled the Filipina ace’s one-over card at the challenging Masters course halfway through the Asia-Pacific Amateur Ladies Golf Team Championship.

With Mafy Singson fumbling with a 75 after a 74, the Philippines likewise dropped farther back in the centerpiece team competition at 290 after a 148 for joint seventh with New Zealand, which pooled a 150, nine strokes behind Korea, which firmed up its lead with a 281 total, counting the other 71 from Minsol Kim for a second round 142.

Lois Kaye Go failed to count in the three-to-play, two-to-count format event for the second straight day as she ended up with an 80 after a 77-157 to tumble to 31st in a field of 36 in individual play.

India, which drew a 77 from Vidhatri Urs as Nishna Patel didn't count with a 78, assembled a 285 after a 143 while China scored a 143 and defending champion Japan and Hong Kong matched 147s for identical 288s. Thailand had a 289 for sixth after a 149.

Malixi and Xu actually took control with birdies on the opening hole but both went on roller-coaster rides from there with the former, whose campaign with Singson is backed by ICTSI, dropping strokes on Nos. 4, 6 and 7 before birdying the next two for a 36.

But after a par on the 10th, she flubbed birdie chances on Nos. 11, 13 and 14 then three-putted the par-5 15th. She made an up-and-down par on No. 16 and missed another birdie opportunity on the next before settling for a closing par off a bunker stint.

Xu grabbed the solo lead with another birdie on No. 4 but like Malixi, she floundered in tough conditions and made four bogeys in the next 8 holes before holing out with a birdie for a 73.

Singson bounced back from a bogey-bogey mishap from No. 2 with a birdie on the fourth then hit another birdie on No. 11 to draw level. But she dropped two strokes on the par-3 13th, bogeyed Nos. 16 and 17 before rebounding with a birdie for a 75.