WELLINGTON - Rianne Malixi fired a stellar 6-under 66 in the second round for tied second place at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) on Friday, now three shots behind Yang Yunseo of Korea as she bids to become the championship’s first winner from the Philippines.
The 18-year-old, whose impressive credentials include winning the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Girls Junior titles, snared seven birdies against a lone bogey at Royal Wellington Golf Club for a 36-hole total of 10-under 134.
READ Malixi in Asia Pacific title mix after eagle-spiked 68
Overnight leader Yang added a 67 to her opening 64 to lead at 13-under, with another Korean Kim Gyu Been (65) sharing second with Rianne entering the weekend.
Ai Goto of Japan (67) and Korea’s Sumin Hong (68) are tied fourth on 7-under while defending champion Jeneath Wong of Malaysia carded a 73 for T23.
Following an injury-hit 2025 where she was forced to withdraw from the first round of the WAAP in Vietnam, Rianne has returned with a vengeance as she chases another slice of golf history for herself and the Philippines.
“I've been hitting a lot of really good iron shots today, and it was much better than yesterday. Hitting it much closer and I dropped a couple putts in fortunately. Left a couple out there, so I know there is room for improvement and I can shoot even lower, knowing that I fought like this,” said Rianne, who is ranked 21st on the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
While fellow 18-year-old Yang has looked impressive as well as she bids to deliver a first WAAP victory for Korea, Rianne does not want to get ahead of herself, saying anyone in the chasing pack can pounce on the title.
“I really don't want to think about how far back I am. I just want to play my best golf, really focus on my game, take it shot by shot. Anyone can shoot really low if they really focus on it, so I'm just going to do that,” said Rianne, who has two top-5 finishes in five previous WAAP starts.
Yang, who finished tied fourth in her WAAP debut last year, conceded being nervous after sleeping on the lead before composing herself with six birdies on the card against a lone bogey on Friday.
“I was a bit nervous and things didn't go exactly the way I wanted early on, but I focused on what I could control and the good results followed. Even in situations during the round where I could have gotten carried away, I tried my best to stay calm and composed,” said Yang.
Junia Louise Gabasa, the other Filipina in the field, missed the halfway cut set at 6-over 150 following a second round 77.
The WAAP was developed by The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) to nurture talent and provide a pathway for the region’s elite women amateurs to the international stage and the rewards on offer are significant. The champion will earn exemptions into three major championships in 2026, the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, The Amundi Evian Championship in France and the Chevron Championship in the United States.
The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship is proudly supported by Rolex, ISPS Handa, Royal Wellington Golf Club, Samsung, Hana Financial Group, Nippon Kabaya Ohayo Holdings, Peter Millar, Titleist, Sparms, New Zealand Mercedes-Benz and Tongariro, as well as investment partners New Zealand Major Events and Wellington Council and host association Golf New Zealand.
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