Malixi Struggles with 77

Rianne Malixi opened with a double bogey on her way to a five-over-par 77, equivalent to 31 points, in the Mizuho Americas Open at the Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey on Thursday.

The 16-year-old Filipina capped a difficult round with a bogey to sit on joint 18th in the 24-player field.

Starting on the 10th hole, Malixi followed a double bogey with a birdie on 11 but dropped two shots anew on 13. She sandwiched a bogey with birdies on 16 and 18.

Going home, the teen prodigy bogeyed 2, 5 and 9.

Yana Wilson surged to the top of the leaderboard with 41 points, three ahead of Elizabeth Rudisill.

Wilson of Henderson, Nevada went bogey-free while collecting five birdies.

Bunched on 37 points were Canadian Michelle Liu and Sara Im of Duluth, Georgia.

The Stableford format is used in the 72-hole event held in conjunction with the LPGA Tour. A par is worth 2 points and regulation play is equivalent to 36 points.

The participants will be paired off with LPGA players in the final two rounds.