Jasmine Suwannapura held on to her lead at the inaugural Maybank Championship, shooting 3-under on a hot and humid Friday at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club. After shooting a career-low, 9-under round on Thursday, the Thai player had to fight back from an early deficit on Friday to keep her place at the top of the leaderboard. She bogeyed the first and third holes to start the day, but didn’t let the early mistakes impact the rest of her round and ended up shooting another career-low, a 12-under 132 that ties her lowest 36-hole score on the LPGA.
“After the round (Thursday) we got pin position on LPGA website. I was talking with my caddie and I said, ‘they're probably mad at us yesterday,’ and all the pin position was pretty much in toughest on each hole. You know, all the corner, back left, back right. I'm like, yeah, today will be a tough one,” Suwannapura said. “I think I didn't really get stress about the two bogeys, and I feel like today especially pin position was not that easy at all. I feel like couple bogeys, it's makes sense. So just ‘trying my best and hopefully make some birdie coming in. At least make even par today.’ That's what I think (after the bogeys)."
Young-and-upcomer Rose Zhang of the US sits in second at 11-under after closing with a 68 to follow her Thursday 65. She started the day with six straight pars before a bogey at the 7th but quickly made up for it with three birdies on 8, 9 and 10. On 13 she birdied again but followed it with a double bogey on the par-4 14th, which played as the easiest hole on Thursday but had the tee box pushed significantly back on Friday. Zhang birdied 15 and 16 to make up for the double and then sank a long putt on 18 to take the solo second spot heading into Saturday.
“When you're out here you really have to be throwing darts and firing on all cylinders. When you make a mistake it's how you stay composed and come back to it,” said Zhang on coming back from her double. “So I'm really glad how I fought, and I felt like it was a really good way to finish.”
Three players sit in a tie for third, including three-time 2023 Tour winner Celine Boutier, who shot the low round of the day with an 8-under 64 highlighted by nine birdies. Peiyun Chien and Hannah Green join Boutier in the third-place spot. Epson Tour graduate Natasha Andrea Oon, who will be playing as a LPGA Tour rookie in 2024, continues to lead the contingent of six Malaysian players in the Maybank Championship. Oon is -3 overall.
