Rianne Malixi’s hunt for a USGA trophy came to a halt after she lost to Bailey Shoemaker in the round-of-32 of the US Women’s Amateur Championship at the Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles on Thursday.
It was a heartbreaking defeat for the Filipinas, who battled back from two holes down to play a par on No. 17 and a clutch 18-foot birdie on the last to force the only extension in the second round of head-to-head clashes.
But Shoemaker holed out with a birdie in the 19th hole to clinch the match, while Malixi, seeded 23rd, bogeyed as her third shot went past the hole.
Shoemaker, who finished No. 55 after the 36-hole stroke play elims then stunned No. 10 Malia Nam from Hawaii at the start of the match play Wednesday, went 2-up as Malixi bogeyed No. 4 and restored the lead with a par on No. 8 after the ICTSI-backed shotmaker closed the gap with a birdie on the sixth.
Malixi, a 5&3 winner over Ellie Koo in the first round, actually fell by as many as three holes after a bogey on No. 12, but a birdie on the par-3 13th put her back into the match. After trading pars in the next three holes, she pounced on Shoemaker’s mishap on the penultimate hole and rolled in a pressure-packed putt on the 18th that swerved to left at the finish and dropped to force an all-square match.
Meanwhile, top seed Briana Chacon also got the boot from fellow American No. 32 Catie Craig, who led all the way en route to a 4&2 romp, while No. 29 Yana Wilson hacked out a 2-up win over No. 4 Katie Cranston from Canada.
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