Rianne Mikhaela Malixi and Edison Tabalin completed a Philippine sweep of the premier Class A divisions in the Singha Thailand Junior World Championships at the Royal Hua Hin Golf Club in Thailand Sunday.
Malixi, the 15-year-old prodigy, closed with a four-under-par 68 to coast to a three-shot victory over Thai Ausanee U in the girls’ division. She finished the 72-hole event on 3-under 285, the only player to finish in under par.
Starting at the back, Malixi made back-to-back birdies from 11 to counter an opening-hole bogey. She dropped another shot on 14 before she birdied 15 and 18 to reach the turn on 2-under 34.
She added birdies on 1, 5 and 6 before bogeying 7 for the fourth straight day. She completed the tournament with closing pars.
Ausanee rose as Malixi’s chief challenger, matching the Filipina’s final round output to wind up on even par 288.
“I played well today. I made putts that mattered. I was just staying in the present,” said Malixi who finished the tournament without taming the tough par-4 seventh hole.
“It’s a really tough hole,” said Rick Gibson, Malixi’s Canadian coach.
“No. 7 is like the 17 at St. Andrews. You’ve got a bunch of fairly easy holes and wham! You’ve got the hardest hole in the course.”
Gibson said the Royal Hua Hin at first appearance is not a long course, “but you need to play not only well, but really, really well.”
The victory should give Malixi the confidence she needs when she competes in the Women’s Asia Pacific Amateur Championship next week at the Siam Country Club in Chonburi.
Moments later, Tabalin, a prized find from Davao, closed with three pars under tremendous pressure to stave off compatriot Jacob Cajita and Thai Lapassapon by two strokes.
The 15-year-old son of a caddie, who made the trip after topping the Luisita tournament, shot a 74 to finish 72 holes on 11-over 299. He was 4-over through 13 holes until he birdied 14 and 15.
Cajita, who led the first round, wound up on 76 while Lapassapon L. carded a 74.
Speaking in the Visayan dialect, Tabalin thanked his benefactor Oliver Gan who has been supporting him even before he was elected as president of the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines. He was also grateful for the National Golf Association of the Philippines that bankrolled his trip, his first outside the country.
“We have been a big believer of Edison ever since. We have big plans for him. We want to take him to the United States next summer to let him play bigger events. It will give us great joy if we can help him get a college golf scholarship,” said Gan who discovered Tabalin when he was 10 years old.
“We are so grateful that he won in the Luisita Championship of the NGAP which earned him a place to join the Philippine team.”
Gan said the JGFP hopes to develop more Edisons and Jacobs.
“This is the direction of our new JGFP Board, to develop kids from the ranks through an effective and sustainable grassroots development program These two with Rianne Malixi proved that our talent can more than match with the best in the region,” he said.
In the boys’ Class B, Shinich Suzuki closed with a 72 to place fourth on 14-over, 15 shots behind Thai Parin Sarasmut who matched par.
Patrick Gene Tambalque came in seventh on 313 following a 78, Tristan Jefferson Padilla was ninth on 325 after an 82 and Zach Villaroman 10th following a 78.
In the girls’ Class B, Reese Allyson Ng placed sixth on 24-over 312 after a closing 75, Alessandra Luciano was 10th on 343 following an 80 and Celine Marie Abalos finished 13th on 370 after a 92.
