Rianne Malixi sets out in a highly anticipated showdown with world No. 4 Minsol Kim of South Korea and India’s Queen Sirikit Cup titleholder Avani Prashanth, aiming for a strong start in the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship Thursday in Pattaya, Thailand.
They slug it out at 8:03 a.m. at the backside of the par-72 layout in one of the top match-ups in the opener of the sixth edition of the 72-hole championship, which also features Thai defending champion Eila Galitsky, Japan’s Mamika Shinchi and Rin Yoshida, Korea’s Eunseo Choi, Aussies Caitlin Peirce and Justice Bosio.
The ICTSI-backed Malixi tied for third in the 2022 edition of this event won by Taiwanese Ting-Hsuan Huang at the Siam Country Club’s Waterside course, which is again hosting this year’s championship.
Galitsky kicks off her title-retention drive at 12:03 p.m. on No. 1 against Korean Soomin Oh and Hinano Muguruma of Japan, while Shinchi, winner of the recent Australian Amateur, seeks back-to-back title romp against Taiwanese Huai-Chien Hsu and Bosio.
Other Filipina entries are Anya Cedo, Alethea Gaccion, Nicole Abelar, Junia Gabasa and Grace Quintanilla.
Cedo drew an early tee-time at 7:41 a.m. on No. 1 with India’s Heena Kang and Thai Navaporn Soontreeyapas, while Gaccion, a grand finalist in the inaugural Junior Philippine Golf Tour last year, also tees off on the first hole in an 8:03 a.m. flight with Hong Kong’s Siuue Wu and Mannat Brar, also from India.
Abelar clashes with Thai Suvichaya Vinijchaitham and Sania Wahyudi of Indonesia at 11:30 a.m. on No. 10; Gabasa also starts at the backside against Kiwi Mimi Guo and Singapore’s Xingtong Chen at 12:03 p.m.; while Quintanilla hopes to buck the odds in the 12:25 p.m. flight that includes Daniah Syed of Pakistan and Jillian Kuk of Singapore on No. 10.
But all eyes will be on Malixi, who scored a breakthrough win in the Australian Master of the Amateurs Championship last month. The 16-year-old shotmaker also rallied to tie for eighth in the Australian Amateur.
So much is at stake in the championship, which drew 90 players from 22 countries and territories, with the winner to receive invitations to play in 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.