Rianne Malixi banked on a solid backside start to card a 70 as she trailed Thai Navaporn Soontreeyapas and Chun-Wei Wu from Chinese-Taipei by three after 18 holes of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship at the Siam Country Club in Pattaya, Thailand on Thursday, Feb. 1.

Malixi sizzled with back-to-back birdies from No. 10 where she teed off with Korean world No. 4 Minsol Kim and India’s Avani Prashanth then birdied the par-5 18th to go three-under and keep Soontreeyapas and Wu within sight. But she bogeyed No. 3 against a run of pars as she turned in a 37-33 to slip to provisional joint 10th with 13 others, including Kim, who put in a 36-34 card.

But Soontreeyapas took the spotlight in the opener of the sixth edition of the region’s premier championship, spiking her 33-34 round with an ace on the 150-yard No. 7. She gunned down five birdies against two bogeys to share the clubhouse lead with Wu.

“I’m so excited and it’s very good,” said Soontreeyapas of her fiery start.

“Yeah, I think I can win,” added Soontreeyapas, seeking to become the third Thai to win the coveted crown after now LPGA stalwart Atthaya Thitikul, who ruled the inaugural staging in 2018 and Eila Galitsky last year.

But Wu matched her 67 with late birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 for a 34-34 as the duo grabbed a one-stroke lead over Pimpisa Rubrong, also from Thailand, Chinese Yahui Zhang, Kiwi Amy Im and Prashanth, who all carded 68s, while Korean Seojin Park fired a 69 for joint seventh with Aussie Justice Bosio with half of the starting 90-player field still to complete play at presstime.

Galitsky had a one-under card after six holes at the front.

Alethea Gaccion also put in an impressive start in the event which stakes invitations to three major championships to the winner, posting a 71 for a share of 22nd, that included Shinchi and eight others.

A grand finalist in last year’s Junior Philippine Golf Tour inaugurals, Gaccion mixed two birdies with the same number of bogeys at the front then matched the ICTSI-backed Malixi’s birdie-birdie feat from No. 10. But she dropped shots on Nos. 13 and 15 before recovering at the finish with a birdie on No. 17 to save a 36-35.

Anya Cedo, however, wavered after a birdie on No. 7 as she bogeyed the next two holes and yielded two strokes on the par-4 17th to end up with a 75.

Meanwhile, Junia Gabasa had a one-over card after five holes at the back, Grace Quintanilla went on a par-bogey-par start, also from No. 10, and Nicole Abelar reeled back with three straight miscues from No. 13 with nine holes to play.