Mirabel Ting’s dazzling 2024 season will shine even more brilliantly when the 19-year-old talent tees off in the Maybank Championship 2024.
Ting, who is Malaysia’s top-ranked female amateur, will join the world’s best golfers in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) event at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC) this 24- 27 October. The teenager from Sarawak has been extended a sponsor’s invitation by Maybank, along with the nation’s top-ranked lady professional Ashley Lau, and Maybank’s ASEAN ambassador Kelly Tan.
The talented trio will be joined by professionals Liyana Durisic and Durriyah Damian, who qualified via the Maybank Championship ASEAN Qualifier in August, to make up a diverse five-strong Malaysian challenge in the US$3 million event at KLGCC’s West Course.
Based in the United States where she plays for the Florida State University women’s golf team, Ting has enjoyed a superb junior season on the competitive collegiate circuit. She recently chalked up her second consecutive individual victory at the Schooner Fall Classic, becoming just the third golfer in Florida State history to win in consecutive starts. The two wins catapulted Ting into eighth spot on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (September 25), which is the highest by a Malaysian since Natasha Oon reached seventh position in 2022.
Ting was elated at being given the opportunity to play in an LPGA Tour event, which ticks one item off her list of childhood dreams.
“I’m super excited to be playing my first LPGA Tour event at the Maybank Championship. It was a dream since I was a kid, and to have it come true so soon is simply amazing. I would just want to get out there and be able to compete with the world’s best players, learn from them that week and see where it takes me,” said Ting.
“I’ve played KLGCC’s West Course before; the course is long with lots of fairway bunkers that can be in play. The layout requires good course management to be able to perform well,” added the young golfer from Miri.
Earlier this year, Ting made history by becoming the first Malaysian to make the cut at the prestigious Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Following scores of 69 and 74 at Champions Retreat Golf Club, she signed off with a round of 74 on the hallowed fairways of Augusta National Golf Club to finish in an impressive joint eighth position.
In July, Ting made her second appearance for the international team in the Arnold Palmer Cup at Lahinch Golf Club in Ireland. She chalked up two points from four matches in the Ryder Cup style match, which pits the best male and female college/university golfers from the United States against their international counterparts. The United States won the match by 32½ points to 27½.
The following month, Ting blazed the fairways of Sarawak Golf & Country Club to win the individual gold medal in the Sukan Malaysia (SUKMA) Games, while helping her home state to the team bronze medal.
Ting credited her short game and a positive mindset as the main catalysts for her fine run. “I would say my wedge game, chipping and putting have put me in a good place and helped me play well in my last three events, as well as having a good mindset going into the tournaments.
Ashley Lau
Also hailing from Sarawak, Ashley Lau currently plays on the LPGA’s developmental circuit, the Epson Tour, and is ranked 64th on the tour’s Race For The Card rankings. Earlier this year, she broke through for her maiden professional title at the Women’s Victorian Open on the Women’s PGA Tour of Australasia. Lau was the sole Malaysian player in the women’s golf event of this year’s Paris Olympics.
Kelly Tan meanwhile needs no introduction as she is Malaysia’s most successful golfer, having been an LPGA Tour Member since 2014 with 176 tournament starts to her name. The 30-year-old is a two-time Olympian and has set numerous benchmarks for Malaysian golf, including best performance in a Major with her tied for 13th place finish at the 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Kelly Tan
The Maybank Championship is both an inspirational and aspirational platform which will take Malaysian golf to greater heights. This tournament aligns to the commitment to inclusivity and inspiring the next generation, thus providing the opportunity for young Malaysian talents to compete against the world’s best golfers.
Forming part of the LPGA Tour’s late year Asian swing, the Maybank Championship 2024 is a 72-hole, no-cut event. This year’s championship will feature a star-studded field including World No 1 Nelly Korda of the United States, defending champion Celine Boutier of France, and 2023 runner-up Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand who lost a riveting nine-hole playoff to Boutier.
The 78-player line-up also includes World No 2 Lilia Vu of the United States, 2024 Amundi Evian Championship winner Ayaka Furue of Japan, former World No 1 Ruoning Yin of China, Korean Amy Yang who won this year’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and two-time US Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso of Japan.
Ticketing options include the RM38 Weekday Pass (entry for Thursday and Friday), RM68 Weekend Pass (entry for Saturday and Sunday), and RM88 Season Pass (entry for all four days). Children under 12 enjoy free entry, while Maybank Cardholders (Debit, Credit & Charge Cards) and MAE App users are also entitled to free entry.
For more information and ticket bookings, visit Maybank Championship Ticketing.
