KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — After two rounds of the LPGA Tour’s Maybank Championship, Choi Hye-jin missed a 20-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole for birdie and shot a 6-under 66 on Friday for a five-stroke lead.
Choi, who played as a member of the Korean team at last week’s International Crown, played 36 holes at Kuala Lumpur’s Golf & Country Club course, posting a total of 14 under par and 130. She started the day with a one-stroke lead, marking the first time in her career that she led after the first two rounds.
Choi, 26, is undefeated on the LPGA Tour but has 28 top-10 finishes in his career. She placed second at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open as a 17-year-old amateur.
Choi tried to stay positive despite the bogey on the first hole.
“I stuck to my beliefs and tried to play consistently,” Choi said. “So I made a lot of birdies today and all my shots and putts were good.”
Defending champion Ying Ruoning shot a 67 and moved up 19 places to second place. She was joined by Hannah Green, a member of the Australian team that won last weekend’s International Crown, who shot a 69 on Friday.
Green said he was enjoying playing in Malaysia, just a six-hour flight from his home in Perth, Western Australia.
“It’s like a home event,” Green said. This is also called a home event.
New Zealander Lydia Ko, who played in the world’s composite lineup in the team tournament in South Korea, shot a 70 in the second round to finish tied for fourth place, six strokes behind Choi.
“I was pretty tired going into this week,” Coe said. “I’m just trying to stay calm and keep my energy level up.”
World No. 1 Gino Titicle shot a 70, leaving him eight strokes behind the leader. Brooke Henderson shot a 70 for the second year in a row, closing in on Choi by 10 strokes.
Titikul is the only multiple winner on the LPGA Tour this year with wins at the Mizuho Americas Open in May and in Shanghai about three weeks ago, but he finished runner-up the last two times he played in Malaysia.
Next week, the LPGA concludes its five-week Asian swing with the Japan Classic in Shiga.
