Malixi crushes No. 7 Koo, storms into Round of 32
MANILA, Philippines — After barely surviving stroke-play qualifying, Rianne Malixi looked every bit a former champion once match play began.
The 19-year-old Filipina star delivered one of the most dominant performances in the opening round of the US Women's Amateur knockout stage in Ooltewah, Tennessee on Thursday (Friday Manila time), overwhelming seventh seed Jasmine Koo, 6&5, at The Honors Course to book a place in the Round of 32.
Malixi, who slipped to No. 58 after the completion of the weather-delayed second qualifying round, wasted no time asserting herself. She birdied the opening hole to grab an early lead and, after Koo briefly squared the match on the second, never looked back.
The Filipina ace won six of the next 11 holes, capitalizing on a string of costly mistakes by the USC Trojans standout while steadily tightening her grip on the match. Koo conceded holes on bogeys at Nos. 3, 5, 10, 12 and 13, while Malixi added another birdie on the ninth to highlight her commanding display in soft but breezy conditions.
The emphatic victory sent the lone former US Women's Amateur champion in the field into a second round showdown against China's Yujie Liu, the No. 26 seed who edged No. 39 Elsee McCleery, 2-up.
Malixi entered match play with little momentum after an uncharacteristically shaky stroke-play campaign that nearly ended her drive for a second title before it began. Delayed by stormy weather, the second qualifying round proved pivotal as she squeezed into the Top 64 and secured the final phase berth.
But once the format shifted to head-to-head competition, Malixi quickly rediscovered the form that made her the champion two years ago.
Meanwhile, a pair of lower-seeded players pulled off the biggest upsets of the opening knockout round.
No. 63 Hsin Chun Liao of Taiwan eliminated second seed Hailey Kim, 1-up, while No. 61 Rachel Heck knocked out fourth seed Anna Davis by the same margin.
Liao won the ninth and 10th holes to move ahead before Kim rallied with birdies on Nos. 13 and 15 to level the match. The Taiwanese answered with a clutch birdie on the par-3 16th, then held firm with pars over the final two holes to complete the upset.
Heck also fought back after an early deficit, surging ahead with birdies on Nos. 5, 7 and 9. Davis erased the advantage with birdies on the 11th and 13th, but Heck responded with birdies on Nos. 14 and 16 to regain control. Davis birdied the 17th to stay alive, but both players bogeyed the closing hole, allowing Heck to escape with a 1-up victory.
Top seed Anna Iwanaga, however, avoided a first-round upset, turning back No. 64 Addison Klonowski, 2&1.
The medalist seized control with a birdie on the ninth and maintained her advantage as Klonowski stayed within striking distance with a series of steady pars. A bogey by Klonowski on the 15th extended Iwanaga's lead to two holes, and the top seed closed out the match by matching her opponent's pars over the next two.
Iwanaga next faces No. 32 Natalie Blonien, who also advanced with a 2&1 victory over Bella Dovhey.
Other first-round winners included No. 40 Ella Scaysbrook, who defeated No. 25 Jude Lee, 3&2; Thailand's No. 52 P. Chaisilprungruang, who upset No. 13 Jazy Roberts, 2&1; No. 45 Raegan Denton, who routed No. 20 Grace Carter, 5&4; and No. 60 Anna Fang, who stunned fifth seed Mary Miller, 2&1.
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