Malixi fights through struggles, weather to stay in Match Play hunt
MANILA, Philippines — Rianne Malixi’s title defense at the US Women’s Amateur remained in limbo after weather delays and darkness forced organizers to suspend second-round play Wednesday (Thursday Manila time) at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tennessee.
The stoppage left the Filipina star anxiously waiting to learn whether she had done enough to reach Match Play.
After enduring a long, grinding day made even tougher by a two-and-a-half-hour weather delay, Malixi signed for a one-under 71 for a 36-hole total of 148. Her four-over aggregate placed her in a tie for 51st, seemingly inside the projected Top 64 cutoff, but with 31 players still needing to complete their rounds, nothing was guaranteed.
For much of the day, however, the 2024 champion appeared headed for a stunning early exit.
Still searching for answers after an opening-round 77, Malixi never found an early rhythm despite the change in tee time. She stumbled with bogeys on Nos. 4 and 5, tumbling to a share of 115th and falling well outside Match Play contention.
The 19-year-old briefly sparked hope with consecutive birdies from No. 7 holes to climb to a tie for 68th. But another costly bogey on the par-4 No. 10 dropped her back to joint 99th, leaving her bid for the knockout phase hanging by a thread.
With little margin for error and the Match Play door slowly closing, Malixi finally delivered the clutch finish that has become a hallmark of her rise among the world's elite amateurs.
After three steady pars, the Duke University standout birdied Nos. 14 and 17 before closing with another par to salvage a one-under card that could prove enough to extend her campaign.
Before play was suspended, Malixi briefly occupied a share of 63rd place, raising the prospect of a sudden-death playoff for the final Match Play berths. But as more scores came in, she climbed to a tie for 51st, with the projected qualifying line settling at five-over par — providing some breathing room, though not yet complete assurance with dozens of competitors still on the course.
Play was halted after the lengthy weather interruption pushed competition into darkness, leaving 31 players unable to finish their rounds. Their results will determine the final Match Play field and whether Malixi, who also captured the US Girls' Junior title during a historic 2024 season, advances to vie for another US Amateur crown.
Meanwhile, Anna Iwanaga seized the provisional clubhouse lead at 138 after a second-round 71, although 15-year-old Hailey Kim was poised to match or surpass her, standing at six-under overall with one hole remaining.
Iwanaga, who opened with a tournament-leading 67, endured a shaky start with two bogeys over her first five holes before responding with a two-under back nine.
"I feel very confident in my short iron," said Iwanaga. "There are many water hazards here on the golf course, but my strength is short irons, so I can control my distance when I see a water hazard. I like this golf course and feel like it suits my game."
Anna Davis carded a 69 to sit provisionally in third at 140, while Asterisk Talley, whom Malixi defeated in both of her USGA championship victories, was two-under through 13 holes for a running four-under total when play was suspended.
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