RIANNE MALIXI lost via countback in the race for individual honors while the Philippines wound up in ninth place in the team competition at the close of the 43rd Queen Sirikit Cup at the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club in Carmona, Cavite, on Friday.
Malixi and Yoo Hyun-jo of South Korea finished at five-under 283 but Yoo bagged third place with her 71 against the Filipina’s 74 in the final round of the four-day tournament organized by the Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines.
India’s Avani Prashanth submitted a four-under 68 at the Masters course to hoist the individual trophy and complete a wire-to-wire romp with a 272 total.
New Zealand’s Fiona Xu rediscovered her short game and bagged runner-up honors with 282 after a three-under 69 Friday.
It was disappointing for Malixi who got to within three strokes off the leader at the outward nine.
She struggled with a bogey on the 11th and a triple bogey 7 on the 13th that doomed her chances. She birdied the 18th though.
“If not for the countback, Rianne (Malixi) would have taken a podium ending,” team captain Katherine Anne Granada said.
Kim Min-sol scored 68 and Yoo had a 71 for 139 as South Korea took home the centerpiece overall team championship with a 564 tally.
India, thanks to the excellent week of Prashanth, was second with 142-569, while Japan failed to defend the crown but still wound up third with 140-573 in a tie with Indonesia.
The Philippines was ninth with 148 to 583.
Lois Kaye Go’s 74 counted as the second score in the three-to-play, two-to-count format. Mafy Singson, the third member, had a 75.
“I told the girls to play solid today so we could have a decent finish,” Granada said. “They did their best and I am proud of them.”