Top Filipino amateur Rianne Malixi has been paired with two accomplished Japanese LPGA Tour winners for the opening rounds of the Ai Miyazato Suntory Ladies Open, which begins Thursday at the Rokko Kokusai Golf Club in Hyogo, Japan.

The 20-year-old Filipina standout will tee off from No. 10 at 8:15 a.m. alongside four-time JLPGA winner Sayaka Takahashi and two-time champion Fuka Suga in what promises to be a competitive grouping.

Fresh from an impressive freshman campaign with Duke University, Malixi arrives in Japan on the heels of a third-place finish at the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship in the United States. The result capped a stellar collegiate season for the reigning US Girls’ Junior and US Women’s Amateur champion.

This marks Malixi’s third appearance in the prestigious Suntory Ladies Open. She finished tied for 24th in 2024 before missing the cut in last year’s edition. Armed with greater experience and confidence, she hopes to improve on those results and carry her strong form into one of Japan’s premier women’s tournaments.

The four-day event offers a total purse of ¥150 million (approximately P58.5 million), with the champion set to receive ¥27 million. As an amateur, however, Malixi is ineligible to receive prize money regardless of her finish.

Malixi flew to Japan last Sunday after spending nearly a week in the Philippines preparing for a busy international schedule that will also take her to Europe. Following the Suntory Ladies Open, she is set to compete in two major amateur events: The R&A Women’s Amateur Championship at Muirfield, Scotland beginning 22 June, and the Arnold Palmer Cup at Tralee Golf Links in County Kerry, Ireland.

During her brief stay in the Philippines, Malixi visited the newly opened Dragon’s Landing course at Hann Reserve in New Clark City. The spectacular mountain-links layout left a strong impression on the young Filipina, who hopes to squeeze in additional practice rounds there before departing for Europe.

Hann Reserve director of golf Clement Rousseau has extended the club’s facilities to Malixi as she continues preparations for her overseas campaign. Malixi praised the course’s world-class conditioning and layout, describing it as an ideal venue for sharpening her game ahead of a demanding stretch of international competition.