WELLINGTON: Rianne Malixi of the Philippines hit an opening eagle en route to a first-round 4-under 68 for tied fourth place and lie four strokes behind leader Yang Yunseo of Korea at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) championship on Thursday.
The 18-year-old Rianne, who is ranked 21st in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, celebrated her return to the region’s pre-eminent women’s amateur championship with an impressive card at Royal Wellington, which also featured three birdies and a lone bogey.
A year ago, the talented Filipina golfer, who won the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur, was forced to withdraw from the opening round due to a back injury, which sidelined her for much of 2025.
“It feels amazing. It's always a treat playing this championship. I'm excited and happy to play here again,” said Rianne, who has two top-5 finishes in five previous WAAP starts.
Starting from the 10th tee, Rianne launched her campaign on a strong note by holing a 30-yard chip shot for an eagle before picking up further gains on Hole Nos. 15, 2 and 4. She dropped her only bogey on the par-3 eighth hole with a three-putt.
“I was hitting it a ton shorter (on 10) because yesterday it was blowing, which was helping a lot but today it wasn't. So I hit driver, 3-wood and then left a 30-yard pitch shot and hit my 48 (degree wedge), and just rolled, just went in,” said Rianne.
“So it was a good opening hole. I would say it's really steady golf. I didn't make any bogeys until like my 16th or 17th hole. I was doing my best to just hit greens, trying to hit in my proximate dispersion, which I kind of struggled with today.”
She is hoping to remain on the leaderboard for the rest of the week in hope of becoming the first golfer from the Philippines to lift the prestigious championship, which comes with invitations to play in three majors and other elite amateur tournaments.
After winning a U.S. collegiate tournament in Florida last month to signal her return to form, Rianne, who studies and plays for Duke University, believes her injury is now a thing of the past. “I'm taking that (confidence) with me everywhere I go, so I'm just going to do my best this week,” she said.
“I've recovered from my back injury, although it was like a struggle for my 2025 season. A lot of downs; a lot of negative self-talk; and I didn't play well until like last month.”
Junia Louise Gabasa, the other Filipina in the field, opened with a 79 for tied 66th position.
Korean Yang Yunseo, 18, hit a blemish-free 64 to lead the eighth edition of the WAAP by a single shot from Hong Kong’s Arianna Lau (65) while another Korean, Park Seojin opened with a 67 for solo third place. Defending champion Jeneath Wong of Malaysia carded a 72 to sit in T26.
“I didn’t know if I would be able to shoot this kind of score,” said Yang who finished tied fourth in Vietnam in her WAAP debut last year.
“Some short birdie putts dropped, which helped. I played practice rounds on this course for two days. I believed you need to know the course well to score. Even after finishing the round, I reminded myself it’s only the first day. I’ll concentrate on the ball in front of me. If I do that, I think good results will follow.”
The WAAP was developed by The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) to nurture talent and provide a pathway for the region’s elite women amateurs to the international stage and the rewards on offer are significant. The champion will earn exemptions into three major championships in 2026, the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, The Amundi Evian Championship in France and the Chevron Championship in the United States.
The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship is proudly supported by Rolex, ISPS Handa, Royal Wellington Golf Club, Samsung, Hana Financial Group, Nippon Kabaya Ohayo Holdings, Peter Millar, Titleist, Sparms, New Zealand Mercedes-Benz and Tongariro, as well as investment partners New Zealand Major Events and Wellington Council and host association Golf New Zealand.
