Malixi finishes with eagle but still trails by 5 in Queen Sirikit Cup

MANILA, Philippines – Rianne Malixi holed out with an eagle to highlight a superb backside charge for a second 68 in three days but still stood five strokes behind a steady Avani Prashanth of India in the third round of the Queen Sirikit Cup at Manila Southwoods’ Masters course Thursday.

Malixi’s last-hole exploits snapped a run of flubbed birdie putts in the last nine holes, including one that lipped out on No. 12, somehow stalling her bid to pull closer to Prashanth, who carded a 70 to stay in firm control of the individual lead at 12-under 205 with 18 holes left in the annual championship.

Malixi pooled a 209 for solo second, chopping a couple of shots from the Indian’s huge halfway lead with the ICTSI-backed shotmaker, who also opened her bid with a four-under card before floundering with a 73 Wednesday, remaining hopeful of her bid to duplicate Dottie Ardina’s breakthrough win in India in 2011.

But it will take a lot of hard work, plus breaks, for the young Malixi to pull off the come-from-behind feat as Prashanth continued to buck the odds and dominate the field with her stellar play.

Korean Hyunjo Yoo slipped to third at 212 with a second straight 71.

Korea, meanwhile, poised itself to reclaiming the Asia Pacific Amateur Ladies Golf Team Championship crown it won six straight times from 2014 as it pooled a 425 after a 144 and hung on to a two-stroke lead over India, which assembled a 427 after a 142.

Last year’s champion Japan shot a 145 for joint third at 433 with Indonesia, which rallied with a tournament-best 137, and New Zealand, which turned in a 143, while host Philippines stood at joint sixth at 435 with Hong Kong, who put in a second 147, after a 145 as Lois Kaye Go counted for the first time with a 77.

Mafy Singson, who figured in the first two days in the three-to-play, two-to-count format event, skied to an 81.