Thanana Kotchasanmanee sizzled early and dominated the Sun ‘N Lake layout with a seven-under 65, scuttling another Rianne Malixi bid for a crown in the Citrus Golf Trail Ladies Invitational in Sebring, Florida Friday.
Kotchasanmanee produced a couple of three-birdie sprees in the first nine holes, turning a three-stroke deficit into a one-shot lead and the Thai stayed in control the rest of the way on her way to completing a triumphant comeback for a two-stroke victory over the Filipina ace on a 284 total.
Malixi didn’t fare badly with a frontside 34 but a slew of flubbed birdie chances on both sides of the par-72 layout ruined her drive for a seventh championship in the season. She bounced back strong from a missed green miscue on No. 3 with four birdies in a seven-hole stretch from No. 4 to pull within one off Kotchasanmanee, but failed to match the latter’s clutch birdie on No. 11 and settled for a 70 and a 286.
“I played fine today (Friday). I know that I had put up a good fight the first nine holes but the opponent did better,” said Malixi, who birdied Nos. 4 and 5 after dropping a stroke on the third and rolled in an eight-footer on the seventh to hold sway.
But Kotchasanmanee, who birdied No. 3 for a two-shot swing then matched Malixi’s birdies in the next two, chipped in for birdie on No. 7 to fuel another three-birdie run, tieing the latter at five-under overall on the eighth and seizing the lead on the next as Malixi’s missed back-to-back birdie opportunities.
“I gave a lot of my putts really good chances but not enough to clinch the title,” said Malixi, whose campaign is supported by ICTSI. “It’s still a fun week and knowing that I played consistently the past three days, this is a good start for this trip.”
She will next play in the Women’s Orlando International Amateur on Jan. 4-6 at the Orange Country National then heads to the Annika Invitational on Jan. 15-17 at the Eagle Creek Golf Club, also in Orlando.
Malixi, who also placed second in the Malaysian Amateur Open two weeks ago, had looked forward to nailing the crown after gaining a two-shot lead over Morocco’s Sofia Essakali and Megan Meng of the US after 54 holes on back-to-back 69s. But Kotchasanmanee cashed in on her fine form, dished out a tournament-best output and spoiled another Malixi crack at glory.
While Malixi’s birdie bids kept on stopping or resting on the edge of the cup, Kotchasanmanee’s putts kept on dropping as she stormed ahead heading to the backside in a virtual shootout as the rest, including Essakali and Meng, failed to mount any serious challenge.
Kotchasanmanee’s 65 came after she turned in a pair of pedestrian 73 and 74 rounds before moving to joint third, three strokes adrift of Malixi, in the third round on a 72.
Ffion Tynan rallied with a 69 while Vanessa Zhang, who led in the first two rounds, battled back with a 70 as they shared third place at 290.
Malixi, winner of two AJGA (American Junior Golf Association) titles, the Thai Junior World and three Ladies Philippine Golf Tour events this year, also placed second in the PING Heather Farr Classic, also an AJGA event, the Girls’ Junior PGA Championship and the Thailand Amateur Open. She also posted third place efforts in the Albane Valenzuela Invitational, also an AJGA tournament, the Women’s Western Amateur Championship and the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship.
