Miyu Yamashita
France’s Pauline Roussin-Bouchard fired a bogey-free eight-under-par 64 to take the first-round lead at the US$3 million Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) on Thursday.
The Frenchwoman holds a one-shot advantage over American Sophia Schubert and defending champion Miyu Yamashita of Japan, both of whom carded seven-under-par 65s.
Roussin-Bouchard credited her strong ball-striking, putting and ability to manage her emotions for her impressive opening round, as she looks to build on her performance for the rest of the week.
“My challenge today was just to keep the inside voice pretty – not calm because I’m not a calm person – but just under control. Just not get ahead of myself in any situation,” she said.
“I think I managed to do that pretty well, and I think that’s going to be pretty much the goal for the rest of the week.”
The 2025 tournament also offered valuable lessons for Roussin-Bouchard, who said the Malaysian heat affected her routine and energy. She has since learnt to pay closer attention to her preparation and to maintain her focus throughout the round.
“Last year, especially for my last two rounds, I knew I had to put that extra attention on those routines. Have a little pep in my walk, basically,” she said.
Roussin-Bouchard also drew confidence from her performance at last week’s tournament in South Korea, where she found momentum heading into the Malaysian event.
Sophia Schubert of the United States
Schubert, meanwhile, made an impressive debut in Malaysia after working on her swing during practice. The American said improved ball-striking and putting were key to her opening 65.
“I was hitting the ball really well. My ball-striking was better. Coming into this week I wasn’t hitting it great. Last week I was off a little bit,” she said.
“I worked on my swing on the range for quite a while the last couple days and really saw results from that today.”
The 31-year-old was also impressed with the course conditions at KLGCC, particularly the greens, which she said were rolling well.
Yamashita made a strong start to her title defence, needing just 24 putts to card her seven-under-par round.
The Japanese star said consistent ball-striking and a good putting performance helped her get off to an encouraging start as she seeks to retain the title.
“My ball-striking was really consistent today, and I putted really well, so I think that helped me shoot a good score. And I’m really happy to have gotten off to such a good start,” she said.
Yamashita also credited her positive playing experience and discussions with her caddie for helping her navigate the course.
