RIANNE Malixi birdied three of the last five holes in stirring fashion, overcoming a two-hole deficit and nipping Audrey Rischer, 1-up, to crash into the quarterfinal round of the upset-marred US Girls’ Junior Match Play Championship in Colorado on Thursday.
Not only did the win net the 24th ranked Malixi a spot in the quarterfinals packed with bidders who hacked out stirring reversals over their respective highly-ranked rivals but it also gave the 16-year-old Filipina the confidence and momentum she would need as she steps up her drive for the coveted championship.
Two holes down with five to go, Malixi came through with three birdies in the pressure-packed stretch, including a match-clinching tap-in feat on the closing par-4 hole of the Eisenhower Golf Club’s Blue course that left her American rival in total shock, so dejected that she holed out with a bogey.
The ICTSI-backed ace faces No. 17 Farah O’Keefe in the quarterfinals Friday morning with the eight survivors bracing for another grueling test of stamina with the semifinals slated in the afternoon.
“I was very patient knowing that my putter and irons were really cold in the first 12 holes,” said Malixi, who missed five birdie chances inside 6 feet before falling two holes down as Rischer dominated the long holes and birdied Nos. 9 and 11.
Malixi missed another chance on No. 12 and Rischer halved the next hole to sit on the two-hole cushion with five holes left.
But while Malixi toughened up in the face of adversity, the No. 25 Rischer cracked trying to stay ahead and ward off any of the former’s plausible stretch-run rally.
The American failed as she bogeyed the 14th and though she hung tough by matching Malixi’s pars in the next two holes, the latter proved clutch, rolling in a delicate 15-foot putt for birdie on the 17th to force an all-square match.
“I know that it was a tough match. But it was never over until it’s over. So I kept on grinding and fighting back,” said Malixi.
Grind and fight back she did and Malixi spiked her riveting victory with a solid drive and an equally superb 4-Hybrid approach shot on the 408-yard 18th that landed near the cup.
“Heading to No. 18, I was pretty neutral because I was still tied. I knew that if I get ahead of myself, I would be blowing away another opportunity,” said Malixi, seeking to reclaim the crown won by ICTSI stablemate Princess Superal in 2014 in sudden death in Arizona.
She actually nearly blew that chance earlier in a back-and-forth Round-of-32 duel with No. 8 Kaitlyn Schroeder, who went 1-up after four holes, regained it on No. 8 after Malixi tied it with a birdie on the fifth.
But the two-time AJGA (American Junior Golf Association) champion and a multi-titled campaigner on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, birdied Nos. 9 and 11 to snatch the lead, only to fall to another all-square match as Schroeder birdied the par-13th.
Malixi, however, stayed focused and composed in the stretch, closing out with five pars, including on the par-5 16th, which Schroeder bogeyed, enabling the former to pull off a 1-up victory and seal a clash with Rischer, who upended No. 8 Sara Im, 2&1, in their side of the second round match play clash.
Meanwhile, O’Keefe thwarted Brynn Kort, 2-up, in the Round-of-32 then foiled Yeji Kwon of Canada, who stunned top seed and defending champion Yana Wilson on the 20th hole in the previous round, 3&2.
No. 10 Clarisa Temelo emerged as the highest ranked player in the Last 8 as the rest joined Wilson in the sidelines following a wild, upset-marred Round-of-16 phase that saw No. 2 Anna Davis fall to last year’s finalist Gianna Clemente, 3&2; and No. 4 Kaili Xiao of China succumb to No. 45 Leigh Chen, 3&1.
No. 3 Kiara Romero was trailing No. 46 Natalie Yen when play was halted after 15 holes due to darkness.