Malixi scores shocker vs. Rischer, enters quarterfinals

RIANNE Malixi birdied three of the last five holes in stirring fashion, overcoming a two-hole deficit and nipping Audrey Rischer, 1-up, to crash into the quarterfinal round of the upset-marred US Girls’ Junior Match Play Championship in Colorado on Thursday.

Not only did the win net the 24th ranked Malixi a spot in the quarterfinals packed with bidders who hacked out stirring reversals over their respective highly-ranked rivals but it also gave the 16-year-old Filipina the confidence and momentum she would need as she steps up her drive for the coveted championship.

Two holes down with five to go, Malixi came through with three birdies in th e pressure-packed stretch, including a match-clinching tap-in feat on the closing pa r-4 hole of the Eisenhower Golf Club’s Blue course that left her American rival in total shock, so dejected that she holed out with a bogey.