KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Hye-Jin Choi tapped in for a birdie after missing a 20-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole to give her a 6-under 66 Friday and a five-stroke lead after two rounds of the LPGA Tour’s Maybank Championship.
Choi, who played on the South Korea team in last week’s International Crown, had a 36-hole total of 14-under 130 on the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country club course. She started the day with a one-stroke lead and it marked the first time in her career that she has led after the first two rounds.
The 26-year-old Choi is winless on the LPGA tour but has 28 career top-10 finishes. She placed second at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open as a 17-year-old amateur.
Choi tried to remain in a positive frame of mind despite a bogey on her first hole.
“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 Yin Ruoning shot 67 and moved up 19 places and into second place. She was tied with Hannah Green, a member of the winning Australia team at the International Crown last weekend, who shot 69 Friday.
Green said she enjoys playing in Malaysia, which is only a six-hour flight from her home in Perth, Western Australia.
“It’s almost like my home event,” Green said. “I also call this another home event.”
New Zealander Lydia Ko, who played on a composite World lineup in the team event in South Korea, had a 70 in the second round and was in a group tied for fourth, six strokes behind Choi.
“I was pretty fatigued coming into this week,” Ko said. “Just been trying to stay cool and keep my energy levels up.”
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul shot 70 and was eight shots off the lead. Brooke Henderson had a second consecutive 70 and was 10 strokes behind Choi.
Thitikul, the only multiple winner on the LPGA Tour this year after winning the Mizuho Americas Open in May and in Shanghai nearly three weeks ago, has finished runner-up the last two times she has played in Malaysia.
Next week, the LPGA ends its five-week Asian swing with the Japan Classic at Shiga.
