Malixi ties for 8th in Australia tilt

RIANNE Malixi came through with a big windup, birdying four of the last six holes to fire a 3-under 70 and post a joint eighth-place effort in the Australian Amateur won by Japanese Mamika Shinchi at Yarra Yarra Golf Club in Victoria on Friday.

Despite another shaky start that saw her slip back from joint 12th with a frontside 37, the emerging Filipino star finally found her rhythm, range and putting touch in the closing holes, gaining strokes on Nos. 13. 15, 16 and 18 for a 33 and a four-day total of 293.

She finished 11 strokes behind Shinchi, who pounced on erstwhile local leader Amelia Harris’ bogey-marred 40 at the front and won by two with a blistering 7-under 66.

That included eight birdies in the last 11 holes as the Japanese overhauled a six-shot deficit while checking a roller-coaster round of two birdies against three bogeys in the first seven holes.

But she closed out her frontside stint with backto-back birdies, earned another stroke on the 10th, then birdied Nos. 13 and 14 to take command.

Though Harris rebounded with birdies on Nos. 10 and 13, she fell back again with bogeys on the next two holes before winding up with three straight birdies, which Shinchi matched to clinch the victory on a 10-under 282 total.

Harris wound up with a 74 for a 284, while firstround leader Aina Fujimoto, also from Japan, and Aussie Eunseo Choi shared third place at 285 after 67 and 68, respectively.

Earlier, Malixi, out to salvage a Top 10 finish after scoring a breakthrough win in the Australian Master of the Amateurs last week, opened with four straight pars and then bogeyed the fifth. The ICTSI-backed campaigner recovered with a birdie on the next but failed to get up and down on the seventh.

But after another threepar game at the back, Malixi got going, birdying the par-5 No. 13, picking up another stroke on the par-3 15th, and dominating the last two long holes to complete her big fightback.

Looking ahead, Malixi’s performance bodes well for her upcoming campaign in the Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific Championship on February 1-4 in Pattaya, Thailand. TMT