MANILA, Philippines – Rianne Malixi faces a formidable challenge as she drew two of the most fancied players in the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship, which gets under way Thursday, February 1, in Pattaya, Thailand.
Though the rising Filipina star has performed impressively at the Siam Country Club’s Waterside course, finishing tied for third in the 2022 edition of what has become the region’s premier championship, Malixi braces for an early morning duel at 8:03 a.m. on No. 10. She will share the field with World No. 4 Minsol Kim of South Korea and India’s reigning Queen Sirikit Cup individual titlist Avani Prashanth.
The sixth edition of the 72-hole championship features a stellar roster, including Thai defending champion Eila Galitsky, Japan standouts Mamika Shinchi and Rin Yoshida, Korea’s Eunseo Choi, and Australian talents Caitlin Peirce and Justice Bosio.
Galitsky launches her title-retention drive at 12:03 p.m. on No. 1 against Korean Soomin Oh and Hinano Muguruma of Japan, while Shinchi, fresh from her triumph in the Australian Amateur, aims for consecutive victories as she slugs it out with Taiwanese Huai-Chien Hsu and Bosio.
The Philippine contingent, which includes Anya Cedo, Alethea Gaccion, Nicole Abelar, Junia Gabasa and Grace Quintanilla, is ready for the challenge.
Cedo hopes to start out strong in an early tee-time at 7:41 a.m. on No. 1 with India’s Heena Kang and Thai Navaporn Soontreeyapas. Meanwhile, Gaccion, a grand finalist in the inaugural Junior Philippine Golf Tour last year, also starts on the first hole in an 8:03 a.m. flight with Hong Kong’s Siuue Wu and Mannat Brar, also from India.
Abelar drew Thai Suvichaya Vinijchaitham and Sania Wahyudi of Indonesia at 11:30 a.m. on No. 10, Gabasa also tees off at the backside against Kiwi Mimi Guo and Singapore’s Xingtong Chen at 12:03 p.m., and Quintanilla hopes to buck the odds in the 12:25 p.m. group that includes Daniah Syed of Pakistan and Jillian Kuk of Singapore on No. 10.
But focus will be on the ICTSI-backed Malixi, who is coming off a breakthrough win in the Australian Master of the Amateurs Championship last month. The 16-year-old prodigy also rallied to tie for eighth in the Australian Amateur.
The championship, hosting 90 players from 22 countries and territories, promises high stakes with the winner to receive invitations to three major championships — the Women’s Open, the Evian Championship and the Chevron Championship.
Also up for grabs are berths in elite championships such as the Hana Financial Group Championship, the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, the 121st Women’s Amateur Championship and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.