EVANS, Ga. – Rianne Malixi withdrew Tuesday from the Augusta National Women’s Amateur because of a lower back injury.
Malixi, 18, won the U.S. Girls’ Junior and the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2024, becoming the second player in history to accomplish that double in the same year (Eun Jeong Seong, 2016). She entered this week’s championship at Champions Retreat and Augusta National Golf Club ranked fourth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
The withdrawal occurred after Malixi played just four holes in her practice round at Champions Retreat, which hosts the first 36 holes, and is the second straight WD for Malixi in a premier amateur tournament. She only played five holes of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific earlier this month before pulling out with a back strain.
Malixi, who has dealt with back issues for a few years, told Golf Channel’s Steve Burkowski on Tuesday before withdrawing that she was playing at only 40-50% and on a ball count. She revealed that she’d had a recent MRI, but declined to go into specifics.
An incoming freshman at Duke, Malixi was not replaced in the field, which is now at 71 players.
