Rianne Malixi gets a chance to play alongside LPGA stars when the Mizuho Americas Open gets off the ground at the Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey on Thursday.
The 16-year-old Filipina is among 24 junior stars competing in an American Junior Golf Association event held in conjunction with the LPGA.
Running concurrently with the Mizuho Americas Open, the 72-hole amateur event will be played under the Stableford format.
During the first two rounds, LPGA and AJGA players will be paired in their own separate groups.
But after the 36-hole cut is made, each AJGA player gets to play with two LPGA bets in the final two days of competition.
“Playing an LPGA event alongside the top pros would be a great opportunity for me to learn and gain experience,” said the ICTSI-backed Malixi, second in the AJGA girls’ ranking.
Malixi had played a practice round with Filipino-Japanese Yuka Saso.
A two-time AJGA (American Junior Golf Association) winner who has won several titles on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, the 16-year-old Malixi is coming off a third-place finish in a pro event, the Beaumont Emergency Hospital Open of the Women’s All Pro Tour in Texas last week.
On Thursday, Malixi will play in the featured group on the 10th hole at 2:16 p.m. that includes No. 1 Gianna Clemente and No. 3 Alice Ziyi Zhao.
The tournament is part of her buildup for the US Women’s Open elims on 7 June in Chicago.
Malixi is also set to compete in the British Women’s Amateur on 13-18 June in England.
