RIANNE Malixi is one of 25 golfers recognized on Monday as members of the 2025-26 Annika Award Preseason Watch List.
The Annika Award presented by Stifel honors the Player of the Year in the US women’s college golf scene, as selected by college golfers, coaches and members of the college golf media.
The 18-year-old Malixi became a candidate after becoming the second player in US Golf Association history to win the U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur titles in the same year last year.
Malixi is now a part of Duke University women’s golf team in the US NCAA Division 1,
She became the top-rated recruit for Duke for this year and will play as a freshman this season, according school officials in an announcement.
Malixi caught the attention of the US golfing community after she won the U.S. Women’s Amateur, the U.S. Girls’ Junior and the Australian Master of the Amateurs.
Aside from this, Malixi became the second golfer to win two United States Golf Association (USGA) championships in the same calendar year, after Seong Eun-Jong did it in 2016.
Over her career on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), Malixi tallied seven wins, 18 top-five, 20 top-10 and 25 top-20 finishes.
Malixi has been ranked as high as No. 3 in the Women’s Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).
Last year, Florida State junior Mirabel Ting took home the Annika Award, capping off a five-win season with Player of the Year honors. Ting turned professional over the summer.
Other players who are candidates are Vanessa Borovilos, (Texas A&M), Pinky Chaisilprungruang, (Charlotte), Eunseo Choi(Pepperdine), Anna Davis, Jr. (Auburn), Eila Galitsky(South Carolina), Megha Ganne., Sr.(Stanford) and Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio, Jr.(Texas A&M).
