Fresh off a breakthrough triumph in Australia, Rianne Malixi is gearing up for another shot at golfing glory in the upcoming Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship set to unfold on February 1 in Thailand.
Undeterred by a formidable field of competitors, the Filipina prodigy is poised to showcase her skills at the Siam Country Club’s Waterside course in Pattaya.
Four other Filipinas in the field
Joining her are compatriots Alethea Gaccion, Grace Quintanilla, Junia Gabasa, and Nicole Abelar.
The sixth edition of this premier ladies' amateur championship will witness the participation of international rising stars, including the likes of Japan’s Mamika Shinchi, India’s Avani Prashanth, and South Korea’s Eunseo Choi, who join forces with Malixi.
Both Malixi and Shinchi, aged 16, recently secured premier titles Down Under in remarkable come-from-behind victories.
Malixi rallied from a four-stroke deficit to claim the Australian Master of the Amateurs crown, while Shinchi overcame a six-shot gap, out-dueling local ace Amelia Harris for the Australian Amateur title.
The competition further intensifies with the addition of 17-year-old Prashanth, the reigning Queen Sirikit Cup individual winner, and Choi, a two-time victor in 2023. Reflecting on her success in Australia,
Invitations to 3 majors at stake
The winner will earn invitations to play in three major championships: the Women’s Open, the Evian Championship, and the Chevron Championship.
Additionally, participants have the chance to secure berths in prestigious tournaments like 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.
The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship has a rich history of producing notable champions, including Thai Atthaya Thitikul, now world No. 10, who triumphed in the inaugural staging in 2018, and Japanese Yuka Yasuda, who reigned in 2019.
Mizuki Hashimoto of Japan emerged victorious in 2021 after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, while Ting-hsuan Huang from Chinese Taipei captured the crown in 2022 at the Siam Country Club.
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