Malixi triumphs from Down Under, tops Aussie Master of the Amateurs by 1

In a heart-pounding finale, Malixi showed her mettle by breaking off a tie with Japanese Nika Ito, who played in a flight ahead, with a clutch six-foot birdie on the par-3 16th then capitalized on the latter’s costly mishap on the 17th to pull ahead. She then matched Prashanth’s pars in the last two holes to escape with the victory that was more of a triumph of the spirit for a young talent overcoming a season marked with “near-misses.”

This time, the 16-year-old ICTSI-backed star didn’t fail, spiking her incredible comeback from four strokes down off local ace Lion Higo after 54 holes with a brilliant frontside 32 then flashing unwavering fighting spirit in the clutch to pull through with one of the highlights of her flourishing career.

“It was 146 yards downwind. I used a controlled 8-iron and struck it to within 6 feet,” said Malixi of her lead-grabbing birdie on No. 16 that led to her first amateur championship overseas.

“I started playing hot (4-under at the frontnine). And knowing that I had a low score banked under my sleeve, I just wanted to play smart and tried to avoid making bogeys in the remaining holes,” she added.

Wearing the symbolic Green Jacket of victory, Malixi, visibly emotional, tried to hold back tears as she shared the podium with men’s champion Phoenix Campbell. She thanked her team, including coach-caddie Rick Gibson, her family and supporters for her triumphant campaign in her first stint Down Under.

“I feel very happy. It’s such an honor to be here,” said Malixi. “I’m grateful for the experience.”

Acknowledging her mother Michelle, who celebrated her birthday on Thursday, Malixi, who blew a couple of title cracks in various international tournaments last year, including a runner-up finish in the US Girls’ Junior in Colorado, posted six Top 10 finishes in 14 ranking tournaments worldwide in 2023.

With a four-day total of seven-under 285 that included rounds of 70, 72 and 74, Malixi’s victory sets the stage for upcoming challenges, including the Australian Amateur in Victoria next week, and the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship on February 1-4 in Thailand next month.

As the seventh winner of the event, Malixi also earned a spot in the Webex Players Series Hunter Valley, a fully-sanctioned Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour of Australasia at the Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort in New South Wales on February 15-18.

Prashanth, who beat Malixi and a slew of Korean aces to win the individual crown in the Queen Sirikit Cup at the Manila Southwoods last year, finished with a 70 and a 286 for second while Ito settled for a 71 and solo third at 287.

Tied for second spot with Prashanth after 54 holes, Malixi and Ito engaged in a gripping battle for control, both posting solid four-under cards after nine holes.

Higo, who initially held what had seemed to be a huge four-shot cushion, faltered with bogeys in the first three holes of the par-73 layout, tumbled to fourth with a 39 and never recovered. She limped with a 76 and wound up fourth at 288.

Ito, who set the pace in the first two rounds, regained the solo lead with a birdie on the par-5 10th but dropped into a tie again with Malixi with a mishap on No. 14.

The Filipina ace, who nailed her fourth Ladies Philippine Golf Tour crown in iloilo last year, then seized the moment as Ito double bogeyed No. 15, snatching the solo lead in a thrilling turn of events.

But Malixi flubbed a par-putt bid from six feet on the 15th, enabling Ito to rejoin her at the top, setting the stage for a pressure-packed finish in the last three holes.

Prashanth’s bogey on No. 15 kept her out of the three-way tie while Ito’s miscue on par-5 No. 17 dashed her hopes of gaining on Malixi.

In the end, Malixi, a two-time AJGA (American Junior Golf Association) winner, showcased her composure, overcoming a challenge on the penultimate hole and holing out with a regulation par on the 18th to thwart Prashanth’s bid for a playoff.

Down by four, Malixi tied Higo right after three holes with a birdie on No. 2 coupled with the latter’s three straight bogeys. They matched birdies on the fourth but Malixi surged to joint lead with Ito with birdies on Nos. 7 and 9.

The Japanese, meanwhile, overcame a bogey start with five birdies in the next eight holes, including four straight from No. 6. She made it five-in-row on No. 10 as Malixi failed to set up a birdie chance from just 40 yards off the par-5 green and settled for par.

Ito held sway as she and Malixi birdied the 11th, also a par-5, but the latter forced a tie after the former bogeyed the 13th. Malixi slipped to second again with a mishap on No. 14 but got back into a share of the lead despite another bogey on the next as Ito dropped two strokes on No. 15.

Malixi then struck a solid tee-shot on No. 16 to within six feet and drained the putt to seize solo control even as Prashanth matched that feat from four feet to tie Ito at second.

But Prashanth chipped way past the 17th green and missed a chance for a potential birdie and a standoff, paving the way for Malixi’s scintillating victory. — Jan Veran