RIANNE Malixi will probably play the most important golf rounds of her young life beginning on Thursday when she tees off at the Philippine Open, the only girl in a field of 120 men.
Besides being at the center of what seems like an ancient experiment of inviting talented female golfers to tee off with men, Malixi, who just turned 18, will have the added burden of lifting Philippine golf from its decades-long doldrums.
It's a tough job for a young girl, but she has accepted the challenge, even if possibly unaware that her performance will have an enduring effect on the future of the sport in the country.
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No matter what organizers say about the Open attracting the region’s best male golfers and therefore worth a look, the fact of the matter is that Malixi, who made history by winning the US Girls and US Women’s Open Amateur Championships in 2024, will be the Philippine Open’s top attraction.
I, for one, will not travel to faraway Carmona, Cavite, with the looming monstrous traffic going to Southwoods from Metro Manila and back, were it not for the chance to see how Malixi ‘s heralded game fares against the men’s.
I thought, at first, that she may make a fool of herself and that she will deprive some other deserving male pro a spot at the Open. But in retrospect, I realized that the caliber of her game, the rare wins she has achieved and her exalted place in the local golf firmament, are more than enough qualifications for a spot in the Open.
Easy to say that Malixi is there for the experience. But I expect her — being our country’s most accomplished golfer, male or female; not counting Yuka Saso, once Filipino, now Japanese — to play hard and vie for the title.
Winning it all, of course, will be the news that reverberates around the sports world, because it’s like having our top PBA team beat an NBA team, something akin to a miracle by any divine standard.
In fact, the common consensus is that she may not even make the cut. But working in her favor is that the Philippine Open field does not have the gravitas of the PGA Tour, where women golfers like Annika Sorenstam and Michelle Wie competed.
What we have at the Open is an Asian Tour field that’s much weaker with many stars in the region absent and apparently still on holiday mode.
But this does not mean Malixi can waltz her way to the top of the leaderboard. These male players are good and they are veteran professionals. As it is, Malixi is still an amateur.
One way to redeem herself, should the gods of golf bless her, is to produce a game of high energy and remarkable quality.
Let's give it to Rianne
Even a failed but memorable performance will be enough to enhance her status as the role model for female youth in these parts aspiring to follow in her footsteps.
A poor performance, God forbid, can stick in the minds of many and be followed by people ruing how she was thrown into the lion’s den or that she has bit more than she can chew.
Still, one must give it to Malixi. Her enthusiasm, courage, competitive spirit, and sheer drive to get better — the very things she needs moving forward in her career — are clearly there as she tees it up at the Philippine Open.
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