2024 U.S. Women's Amateur champion Rianne Malixi to tee it up on the Asian Tour
23 Jan 2025
by Amit Pandey of AmateurGolf.com
see also: Rianne Mikhaela Malixi Rankings
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Rianne Malixi (LPGT Photo)
At just 17 years old,
Rianne Malixi has made history. The young golf sensation became only the fourth woman to compete on the Asian Tour, teeing off at the Philippines Open—a tournament steeped in tradition as Asia's oldest, dating back to 1913.
Currently ranked No. 4 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com Women's Rankings, Malixi already has a glittering amateur resume. She’s the reigning champion of the 2024 U.S. Girls’ Junior and the U.S. Women’s Amateur, and she’s headed to Duke University later this year.
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Her opening round of 5-over 75 might not have set the leaderboard on fire, but considering the tough conditions and stiff competition, it’s a performance worth applauding. Even seasoned professionals struggled: two-time champion Miguel Tabuena finished just one stroke ahead at 4-over 74, while former champion Angelo Que carded a 76.
This isn’t the first time a woman has taken on the challenge of competing in a men’s tournament, but it’s always a story that inspires. In 2004, Ria Quizon and Heidi Chua became the first woman to play in the Philippines Open, though both missed the cut by a wide margin.
Golf has a rich history of trailblazing women competing in men’s events. Babe Didrikson Zaharias, an LPGA Hall of Famer, broke barriers in the 1940s, competing in seven PGA Tour events and making the cut twice in 1945.
Michelle Wie famously made the cut at the SK Telecom Open in 2006, becoming the only woman to do so on the Asian Tour. Lexi Thompson’s recent appearance at the 2023 Shriners Children’s Open saw her narrowly miss the cut by two strokes, but her performance captivated fans worldwide.
Mixed-gender competitions have become increasingly popular in recent years, reflecting a growing desire for inclusivity in the sport. The PGA Tour’s Grant Thornton Invitational and the Scandinavian Mixed, co-hosted by Annika Sörenstam and Henrik Stenson, highlight how these events create new opportunities.
Sörenstam herself made history in 2003, becoming the first woman since Zaharias to compete in a PGA Tour event at the Bank of America Colonial.