Malixi wins US Girls’ crown

MANILA, Philippines — Filipina ace Rianne Malixi made sure the US Girls’ Junior Championship wouldn’t slip through her fingers again.

A year after a stinging one-hole loss in her first trip to the 36-hole championship match, a wiser and hungrier Malixi turned in her best golf in the final push to clinch the crown in record fashion over American Asterisk Talley, 8 and 7, Saturday in Tarzana, California.

The 17-year-old Philippine pride sizzled on a hot day at the El Caballero Country Club, gunning down 14 birdies without a bogey in 29 holes to finish off her rival with plenty to spare.

“It’s like my best game so far. I know I played well in a lot of the pro events, but this is the best one so far,” said Malixi, only the second player from the Philippines to win the tournament after Princess Superal 10 years ago.

Malixi was highly motivated to go all the way after a numbing 1-down setback to Kiara Romero in last year’s championship in Colorado.

And she did it in the grandest of styles. Her 8 and 7 clincher eclipsed the old winning cards of 7 and 5 that Nancy Lopez and Michelle McGann in 1974 and 1987, respectively, when the final was contested over 18 holes.

“It was such a heartbreak last year because I was so close. After that US trip I just practiced a lot. I spent a lot of hours training in Manila. I sacrificed a lot of my social time, school time,” she said.

More than erasing the stigma of her tough loss in 2023, this triumph earned for Malixi an array of prizes that include exemptions to the US Women’s Open and US Women’s Amateur next year as well as the 2024 and 2025 US Women’s Amateur competitions.

“It’s huge, I know,” said Malixi with a wide smile. “It’s hard for me to comprehend right now because everything just came in so quickly. I know being a USGA champion means a lot. Being able to do that is a huge honor for me, and I’m very grateful.”