Rianne Malixi 3 off clubhouse lead in Asia-Pacific AM

Rianne Malixi guns down three birdies against a bogey in round one. —R&A PHOTO

The Philippines’ Rianne Malixi used a hot back nine start to card a two-under-par 70 and by three shots down from joint clubhouse leaders Navaporn Soontreeyapas of Thailand and Taiwan’s Chun-Wei Wu at the start of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship at Siam Country Club in Pattaya, Thailand, on Thursday.

Malixi opened with two straight birdies from the 10th and had another on No. 18 before signing for her lone bogey on the third and be tied with 13 other at 10th spot.

Soontreeyapas spiker her 67 at the opener of the sixth edition of the region’s premier championship with an ace on the 150-yard seventh hole. She also had five birdies against two bogeys to share the clubhouse lead with Wu.

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“I’m so excited and it’s [a] very good [start],” said Soontreeyapas, who is trying to become the third Thai to win here after now LPGA star Atthaya Thitikul in 2018 and Eila Galitsky last year. “Yeah, I think I can win.”

Wu matched the Thai’s 67 with late birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 for a 34-34 as the duo grabbed a one-stroke lead over Pimpisa Rubrong, also from Thailand, Chinese Yahui Zhang, Kiwi Amy Im and Prashanth. South Korea’s Seojin Park fired a 69 to be another stroke back with Aussie Justice Bosio with half of the starting 90-player field still to complete play at presstime.

Galitsky had a one-under card after six holes at the front.

Alethea Gaccion, also of the Philippines, put in an impressive start in the event which stakes invitations to three major championships to the winner, posting a 71 for a share of 22nd.

A grand finalist in last year’s Junior Philippine Golf Tour inaugurals, Gaccion mixed two birdies with the same number of bogeys at the front then matched the ICTSI-backed Malixi’s birdie-birdie feat from No. 10. But she dropped shots on Nos. 13 and 15 before recovering at the finish with a birdie on No. 17 to save a 36-35.

Anya Cedo, however, wavered after a birdie on No. 7 as she bogeyed the next two holes and yielded two strokes on the par-4 17th to end up with a 75.