The first round of the Maybank Championship began under sunny skies and hot conditions, but the weather turned cloudy and grey in the afternoon leading to a significant delay in play. Fifty-four players completed their first round before lighting in the area suspended the first round at 1:53 p.m. on Thursday. Eight groups and 32 players were left to complete round one, and after 3 hours and 48 minutes, they did just that. The first round resumed at 5:41 p.m. and was completed just before the sun set.
Teeing off in the first group of the day off 10 tee, Thailand’s Jasmine Suwannapura took the first-round lead at the inaugural Maybank Championship well before afternoon storms suspended play. The two-time LPGA Tour winner shot a new career-low score of 63 at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, recording seven birdies and an eagle in her 9-under, bogey-free round. It was an impressive feat for the 30-year-old, especially since she was unable to get a full practice round in before the tournament began.
“Starting, you know, first couple holes I try to play kind of little safe, on safe side, because I only play six holes for the practice round and get to walk on the back nine on pro-am day on the cart path, so I don’t really know the course,” Suwannapura said. “I feel like with low expectation today then the result come out really good. A lot of putts drop for me, and it’s good feeling to start with a low score this week for sure.”
Starting on the back nine, Suwannapura took the lead early on Thursday after going birdie, eagle, birdie on holes 13-15. She was one of just four players in the field to eagle the drivable par-4 No. 14, taking full advantage of the hole early on. She added another birdie just before the turn on No. 18 to go out in 31 and -5. More birdies came on 1, 3 and 5 and she closed out the round with a final birdie on nine to take the clubhouse lead as early as possible. Suwannapura found every fairway on Thursday and nearly every green, which contributed to her success and earned the Thai her third first-round lead or co-lead of her LPGA Tour career.
“I feel like you really need to hit straight here. Every single shot, even par-5, it’s either go for it or layup. It’s very narrow so everything have to be perfect here to have a chance to make birdies here,” she said. “So that’s very challenging for me. I just think I don’t have any expectation, and even though it’s narrow for me and everyone, I just aim it there and just hit it there and just keep playing.”
Australia’s Hannah Green finished her round -8 and solo second just before lightning threats suspended play at 1:53 p.m. A last birdie on No. 18 set Green just ahead of a pack of five players at -7, including 2023 Tour winners Rose Zhang and Grace Kim, American Gina Kim and Chinese Taipei’s Peiyun Chien. Sweden’s Linn Grant waited nearly four hours to join the group at -7, but she did so with a final birdie on 18 that made the most of the delay.
Natasha Andrea Oon of Malaysia
Epson Tour graduate Natasha Andrea Oon fared the best of the six Malaysian players in the field, finishing with a 2-under 70 on Thursday.
Oon, currently tied for 40th place, sits seven shots behind the leader Jasmine Suwannapura, who delivered a stunning nine-under-par 63 on KLGCC’s West Course. Her early performance showcased a strong start, securing four birdies and conceding just one bogey during her first nine holes. However, a lone bogey troubled her during the subsequent nine, as a few unlucky breaks hindered her progress.
Reflecting on her round, Oon shared, “I was just trying to maybe hole some – I had a few chances. I just had a few bad breaks and things were just not going in. I had to settle with par. I was hitting it to like ten feet, eight feet. Sometimes my ball just stopped like on grainy greens like that.”
Ranked 267th in the Rolex Women’s Rankings, Oon expressed her reliance on her instincts for the upcoming rounds. “With years of playing, you develop this kind of inner instinct of when to pull back, and when to go for it, so I’ll be trusting that,” she added.
Birthday girl and Maybank ASEAN ambassador Kelly Tan shot a 1-under 71 on her home course and sits at T52 after round one. She viewed the round as a confidence booster despite a mix of four birdies and three bogeys on her scorecard.
Kelly Tan hugs Rose Zhang
Undeterred by the inclement weather, which led to a temporary suspension of play, Tan remarked, “I think today’s round gave me the confidence. Golf is not a perfect game. I didn’t play a perfect great game today. I played with Rose. She played a perfect game. I felt like our game was not that far off. She just made a few more putts than I did. Yeah, I didn’t make all the putts but I just feel like I’m not far off. I’m excited to go out the next few days and see where I can put myself and play more aggressively.”
For now, she intends to stick to her game plan and continue to aim for the fairways and greens, hoping for good positions for good opportunities.
After the play concluded around 6:30 in the evening, Jeneath Wong, a sophomore at Pepperdine University, and Epson Tour professional Ashley Lau both posted even-par 72, securing a tied 60th position.
