RIANNE Malixi hopes to provide a stiff challenge to a slew of pros bracing for a fierce showdown in the ICTSI Midlands Classic unfolding tomorrow, Tuesday, with the top amateur seeking a podium finish in the season-ending event of the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.
The 14-year-old rising star is coming off a series of stints abroad, including a pro tournament in Florida, giving her confidence to slug it out with the likes of Harmie Constantino, Sunshine Baraquiel, Chanelle Avaricio and Daniella Uy for a crack at a first pro crown on a course that changes in character with every swirl of the wind.
Malixi, the 2020 national stroke play champion who scored a wire-to-wire triumph in the Se Ri Pak Desert Junior of the AJGA (American Junior Golf Association), reached the Round of 32 in the US Girls’ Junior and made it to the Last 16 in the US Women’s Amateur.
She also placed joint 23rd in the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific in Abu Dhabi, had a Top 10 finish in the Rolex Tournament of Champions, and reached the quarterfinals of the PXG Women’s Match Play of the Women’s All Pro Tour (WAPT).
