Rianne Malixi pounced on a huge four-shot swing on No. 1 and threatened within one stroke off Nikki Oh after a 68 in the AJGA Thunderbird Junior All-Star heading to a wild finish at the Papago Golf Course in Phoenix, Arizona.
Malixi, who started the round four strokes off the American with a 69, fell a shot farther back in a separate flight despite a solid backside 34 then birdied the par-5 No. 1 which she eagled in the first round.
In a bizarre twist, Oh, who birdied three of the last five holes at the back to extend her lead, hit a couple of errant shots on the 427-yard opening hole where she holed out in two for a rare double-eagle feat and a 65 Friday. This time, she ended up with an 8, enabling the ICTSI-backed Malixi to pull within one with one round left in the 54-hole tournament that drew 15 champions of the American Junior Golf Association, including four in the Top 150 of the Rolex AjGA Rankings.
The duo matched two birdies against a bogey in the last eight holes with Oh finishing with a 71 for a 136 and Malixi churning out a pair of 34s for a 137.
But Alabama’s Scarlett Schremmer and Bridget Chantharath of California pooled identical 138s after a 66 and 67, respectively, and Nevada’s Brynn Kort fired a 69 to assemble a 139, setting the stage for a final round shootout among five contenders.