With 14 Birdies in 29 Holes, Malixi Wins Girls Junior Final 8&7

TARZANA, Calif. -- A year ago, Rianne Malixi lost the final at the U.S. Girls Junior Championship 1 down to Kiara Romero (now an All-American after one year at the University of Oregon).

"It was such a heartbreak last year, because I was so close," Malixi said Saturday. After that U.S. trip, I just practiced a lot. I spent a lot of hours training in Manila. I sacrificed a lot of my social time, school time."

She had no intention of losing in the 2024 final on Saturday at Caballero Country Club, and the 17-year-old from the Phillipines -- who is committed to Duke University for 2025 -- set the tone early, with birdies on five of the first seven holes against Asterisk Talley. And the birdies just kept on coming.

As it turned out, Malixi made 14 birdies -- with concessions -- and no bogeys in the 29 holes that the No. 2 seed needed to defeat No. 4 seed Talley 8&7. The math is easy to do. Fourteen birdies and no bogeys -- or doubles or worse ---meant that Malixi was 14 under par for the day.

There wasn't a lot Talley, a 15-year-old from California, could do about it. She had been 9 under for 17 holes in her 3&1 semifinal victory over No. 16 seed Gianna Clemente, but the birdies weren't as easy to come by for her on Saturday. Malixi birdied the first hole, a 512-yard par 5, to start the match. Talley responded with a birdie at the par-4 second. They both birdied the par-4 fourth, keeping the match even, but Malixi added birdies at par-4 fourth and fifth holes to take a 2-up lead. She also birdied the 506-yard, par-5 seventh, but so did Talley.

Malixi won the eighth with a par, but Talley won the ninth -- at 423 yards, it was the longest par 4 on the course -- with a birdie. That cut the deficit to 2 down, but then Malixi proceeded to win the first five holes on the back nine, and the route was on. She won the par-3 10th, the par-4 11th and par-5 12th with birdies. Her par was good enough to win the 13th, and she won the par-4 14th yet another birdie, which got her to 7 up. Talley got one back with a birdie at the 15th, and the two finaliists went to lunch at the end of the morning round with Malixi 6 up.

When the afternoon round started, No. 1 was halved with pars,. Maxili birdied the second, but Talley won the third and fourth holes with birdies. That gave her some hope, maybe, but not for long. Malixi went 6 up -- again -- with a birdie at the 7th, and 7 up with a birdie at the ninth. They tied the 10th with birdies, and Malixi brought the proceedings to a close by winning the 11th with a par.


U.S. Girls Junior Championship

At Caballero Country Club

Par 71, 6,365 yards

Tarzana, Calif.

Match play


Round of 64

No. 9 Amelie Zalsman, St. Petersburg, Fla. def. Reese McCauley, Inver Grove Heights 3&2

No. 1. Kinsley Ni, China def. No. 64 Cathy Zhang 3&2

No. 2. Rianne Malixi, Phillipines def. No. 63 Annie Jin, Bradenton, Fla. 6&5

No. 3. Jasmine Koo, Cerritos, Calif. def. Marley Pedrique, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 6&5

No. 4 Asterisk Talley, Chowchilla, Calif. def. No. 61 Sofia Vargas, Riverside, Calif. 3&2

No. 5. Vanessa Borovilos, Canada def. Charlotte Cantonis, Tampa, Fla. 20 holes

No. 59 Anna Fang, San Diego def. No. 6 Aphrodite Deng, Canada 2&1

No. 58 Madison Messimer, Myrtle Beach, S.C. def. No. 7 Kaili Xiao, China 1 up

No. 8 Yuka Nashina, Japan def. Veronika Exposito, The Woodlands, Texas 3&2


Round of 32

No. 41 Avani Prashanth, Inida def. No. 9 Zalsman 1 up

No. 1 Ni def. No. 33 Swetha Sathish, Canada 3&2

No. 2 Malixi def. No. 31 Kennedy Swednick, Albany, N.Y. 19 holes

No. 3 Koo def. Chanel Dangela, Korea 6&5

No. 4. Talley def. Thanana Katchasananmanee, Thailand 21 holes

No. 5 Borovilos def. Kylie Chong, Torrance, Calif. 5&4

No. 59 Fang def. Donina Zhou, Trabouca Canyon, Calif. 4&2

No. 58 Messimer def. Raya Nakao, Kanaohe, Hawaii 2&1

No. 16 Gianna Clemente, Estero, Calif. def. No. 48 Lisa Copeland, Naperville, Ill. 1 up


Round of 16

No. 16 Clemente def. No. 1 Ni 7&6

No. 2. Malixi def. No. 18 Yanling Liu, Canada 6&5

No. 3 Koo def. No. 51 Lily Peng, San Ramon, Calif. 8&7

No. 4. Talley def. No. 20 Scarlett Schremmer, Birmingham, Ala. 2&1

No. 5. Borovilos def. Shyla Brown, McKenny, Texas 19 holes

No. 41 Prashanth def. No. 40 Isaki Sakashita, Japan 3&2

No. 59 Fang def. No. 22 Brynn Kort, Henderson, Nev. 5&4

No. 58 Messimer def. No. 23 Kathryn Ha, Roanoke, Va. 20 holes


Quarterfinals

No. 2 Malixi def. No. 58 Messimer 2&1

No. 3. Koo def. No. 59 Fang 1 up

No. 4 Talley def. No. 5 Borovilos 1 up

No. 16 Clemente def. No. 41 Prashanth 2&1


Semifinals

No. 2 Malixi def. No. 3 Koo 3/&2

No. 4. Talley def. No. 16 Clemente 3&1


Final

No. 2 Malixi def. No. 4 Talley 8&7


Stroke play

Final results

1. Kinsley Ni 66-65--131

T2. Jasmine Koo 69-66--135

T2. Rianne Malixi 68-67--135

4. Asterisk Talley 69-67--136

T5. Aphrodite Deng 65-72--137

T5. Kaili Xiao 68-69--137

T5. Yuka Nishina 68-69--137

T5. Vanessa Borovilos 70-67--137

T9. Kylee Choi 65-73--138

T9. Natalie Yen 67-71--138

T9. Amelia Zalsman 68-70--138

T54. Reese McCauley 73-73--146

Missed cut -- 147 (there was an 8-for-3 playoff at that number that started late Tuesday, and it will be continued Wednesday morning)

Gabriella Eifrig 77-76--153