Rianne Malixi used an early stumble to fuel a scorching backside drive, producing a four-under 68 and pulling within two off Hyo Song Lee halfway through the Malaysian Amateur Open at the Palm Resort Golf and Country Club in Senai, Johor yesterday.
She actually missed holing out with an eagle after reaching the closing par-5 18th in 2 to within pin-length distance, the ball sliding past the cup for a 35-33. But her fiery backside run more than made up for her struggle in the first round that led to a 73 as she moved to solo second at 141 for a fiery third round shootout with the Korean, whom she had shared third place with in the Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific Championship in Thailand last month.
Playing in a flight ahead of Malixi’s, Lee snapped a two-birdie, two-bogey card after 11 holes with three birdies in the last three holes as the reigning Korean Amateur Open champion stayed in control at 139 after a 69 with two rounds left in the 118th staging of the World Amateur Golf Ranking event.
“I hit more fairways today (yesterday) and made a lot of birdie opportunities,” said the ICTSI-backed Malixi, who still rued some missed chances while trying to get the feel of her strokes and Cempaka’s surface in the early going.
“I definitely left some putts out there but I was able to pull off a couple of long putts. Missed most of my (birdie) chances in the first nine then converted most at the back,” said the member of the 2022 AJGA (American Junior Golf Association) All-Star squad and the Rolex Junior All-American First team.
In her third round clash with Lee, Malixi said she’ll be sticking to her game plan while vowing to make the most of her birdie chances.
“I haven’t played Lee yet, so it will be an interesting game tomorrow (today),” said Malixi. “But I will just stick to the same mindset as today (yesterday) – staying on the fairways then opening doors for birdies.”
Lois Kaye Go, who matched Malixi’s opening 73 Thursday, did just that yesterday, hitting three birdies in the first nine holes (Nos. 4, 7 and 9) to threaten to within one off Lee. But the seasoned Cebuana lost her rhythm and poise at the tougher backside, dropping strokes on Nos. 12, 14 and 18 and ending up with a 72.
She slipped to joint third at 145 with Singapore’s Aloysa Atienza, who shot a 71.
Mafy Singson, however, failed to mount a fightback from a first round 77 as she turned in a second five-over card to barely make the cut at 155 with a 154 total.
After a pair of regulation pars, Malixi nearly birdied the par-3 No. 3 from the fringe then saw her birdie putt on the next lip out. She missed another opportunity from six feet on the fifth and dropped a stroke on No. 6 after over-shooting the par-3 hole and hitting a flawed chip shot that went past the green.
But the recent Thai Junior World champion struck a superb approach shot on the next and regained the stroke with a birdie then flashed her power to hit the par-5 eighth in two for a two-putt birdie before going up-and-down on the next to make the turn at 35.
She muffed another four-footer for birdie on the 10th but birdied Nos. 12 and 13, the last a “gimme” feat then bounced back from her second mishap on No. 14 that had her par-putt bid lipping out with birdies on Nos. 16 and 18.
Meanwhile, Shinichi Suzuki carded a 73 for joint ninth at 148, seven strokes behind new leaders Seung Hyun Pi, also of Korea, and Singapore’s Ryan Ang and Daryl Low, who all matched outputs for the second straight day – 71 and 70 – for joint men’s lead at 141.
Sung Ho Lee, another Korean ace, fired a 69 to close in at 142 while erstwhile leader Anson Yeo Boon Xiang floundered with a 79 after a 69 to tumble to Suzuki’s group at 148.
Elle Bisera, on the toher hand, also rebounded from a 77 with a 74 for joint 15th at 151, 10 shots off the leaders.