Malixi crowds the pros at 8th with 2nd 70

MANILA, Philippines – Rianne Malixi stayed at eighth place with a second straight 70 even as Thai Ou Olankitkunchai moved closer to completing her domination of the Beaumont Emergency Hospital Open with a blistering 64 in Beaumont, Texas Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time).

Malixi came out of an up-and-down frontside grind that featured two birdies against the same number of bogeys with two birdies in the last seven holes as she matched her impressive first round output in her first foray on the Women’s All Pro Tour, an official qualifying circuit for the LPGA’s Epson Tour.

She hit a superb approach shot on No. 12 for birdie then gained another stroke on the 15th for a 36-34 card and a 36-hole aggregate of 140 at the Beaumont Country Club course.

While she fell farther back off Olankitkunchai, the ICTSI-backed shotmaker kept her spot in the Top 10, emerging the lone amateur to make the 41-player cut in the 54-hole, $75,000 tournament serving as the sixth leg of this year’s WAPT, where the top 5 will earn spots in the LPGA Q-School Stage II.

Olankitkunchai, meanwhile, sustained her fiery start of 65 with a 31-33 she spiked with nine birdies against a bogey as the bespectacled Thai pulled away with a 129 total, five strokes clear of Canadian Mary Parsons, who slowed down with a 68 after a 66 for a 134.

Korean Bi Shin grabbed solo third at 135 after a 66.

Sunshine Baraquiel, on the other hand, advanced to the final round despite a 73 as she assembled a 145 for a share of 28th place.

Baraquiel, who nailed a career breakthrough on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour in wicked conditions at Tagaytay Highlands in 2021, actually headed to an early exit with a five-bogey card after 13 holes from the back. But she never gave up, closing out with a stirring four-under feat in the last three holes.

She highlighted her big comeback with an eagle on the par-5 No. 8 with her birdies on Nos. 7 and 8 capping a scorching 33 and a 73 that earned her a spot in the last 18 holes after missing the cut in the last three WAPT events.

Meanwhile, after back-to-back pars, Malixi yielded a stroke on No. 3 after a bad bounce that saw her approach shot drop to the bunker and she needed two shots to get to the green.

She missed a couple of chances in the next two holes but birdied the sixth then recovered a stroke she lost on No. 7 with a superb bunker shot that set up another birdie on the par-5 eighth. A solid backside finish, however, put her in the company of pros Jorda LaBarbara and Kathleen Summer of the US, who matched 68s, and Chakansim Khamborn of Thailand, who carded a 71.