Hye-Jin Choi carded a 6-under-par 66 on Friday to extend her lead to five strokes following the second round of the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Choi bogeyed the first hole before recording seven birdies over the final 17 on Friday to reside at 14-under 130 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club course.
The 26-year-old South Korean is vying for her first win on the LPGA Tour, although she secured a second-place finish at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open as a 17-year-old amateur.
“So from the start I made a bogey on the first hole, but I tried to keep the faith and play steady,” Choi said. “So I made lots of birdies today and my shots and putting was all good.”
Defending champion Ruoning Yin of China moved into a tie for second after shooting a 67 on Friday. Yin, who rolled off four consecutive birdies on holes Nos. 3-6 and added three more against two bogeys, is tied with Australian Hannah Green (69).
“I feel like every part of my game is getting better every day, especially my putting,” Yin said. “I said it in the press conference, I think my putting is the only thing that is not quite at the spot. But I feel really good after two days.”
Green, who won the BMW Ladies Championship last year in Paju, South Korea, said she feels comfortable playing in a place closer to home than many LPGA destinations.
“Yeah, I really enjoy coming to Asia,” Green said. “The food can be difficult sometimes. I must admit I’m not good with spice so I don’t really do much Malaysian food. I just really enjoy when we come here.
“I think having the same time zone makes it helpful to be able to communicate with those back at home. I know these weeks can be some of the longest weeks of the year, so making sure I don’t get too ahead of myself and take it easy and rest a little bit more than probably usual.”
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko (70) is part of an eight-golfer contingent tied for fourth place at 8-under.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul (70) finds herself in a tie for 18th place at 6-under.
This is the third edition of this no-cut event, which was first won by Frenchwoman Celine Boutier on the ninth hole of a playoff against Thitikul in 2023. Yin set the tournament record of 23-under with her one-shot victory last year against Thitikul.
