ASEAN qualifier Liyana Durisic continued to lead the Malaysian challenge at the US$3 million Maybank Championship, carding a one-over-par 73 to sit tied for 28th after the second round at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) on Friday.
The Malaysian, who opened with an impressive five-under-par 67, is now four-under-par for the tournament at 140 and remains the highest-placed local player heading into the weekend.
Despite a less consistent day, Liyana was pleased with her overall performance and felt she was still well placed to make a push over the final two rounds.
“I wasn’t hitting the ball as well as I did yesterday, which is fine. I was just focusing on missing it in the right spots,” she said.
A double bogey on the 14th hole proved costly, but Liyana refused to let it affect her mindset.
“Nothing really. It was just like, okay, tough luck. Walk away with a double. That’s fine. I still had like five more holes to go, and five holes is a lot of holes, so nothing. Good solid mind,” she said.
Her brother, who caddied for her in the opening round, had to attend to an emergency on Friday, and a friend took over the bag. Liyana said she was looking forward to having her brother back for the weekend.
Mirabel Ting
Mirabel Ting produced one of the day’s better rounds among the Malaysians, firing a four-under-par 68 to move to one-under 143 and tie for 46th. The young Malaysian was encouraged by the improvement after struggling in the opening round, although she felt her putting could have been better.
“Putting wasn’t really the best today. I mean, I’m stroking the ball pretty well, but just some days you make putts and some days you just don’t make putts,” she said.
Mirabel also credited a late-night discussion with her coach and caddie Michelle Koh for helping her regain focus after Thursday’s disappointing round.
Natasha Andrea Oon carded a one-under-par 71 to reach one-over 145, while Kelly Tan enjoyed a much-improved day with a two-under-par 70 for a two-round total of two-over 146.
Natasha Andrea Oon
Oon had a mixed round with four birdies, one bogey and a double bogey, while Tan’s six birdies helped her gain momentum after a frustrating opening day.
Tan said improved ball-striking and better putting speed made the difference.
“I hit the ball slightly better. Today was an exception, I would say. Not a lot of fault on my long game, and I just holed a couple more putts that kept the momentum,” she said.
Kelly Tan
The Malaysian, who praised the condition of KLGCC despite the heat, hopes to play more aggressively over the weekend as she looks to climb the leaderboard.
Genevieve Ling, meanwhile, carded a four-over-par 76 to finish at six-over 150. Despite striking the ball better than in the first round, Ling struggled on the greens and was disappointed with her putting.
“I was struggling with my ball-striking a bit yesterday, and I worked on it on the range, but I think I need to work more on my putting. Today I hit it good but didn’t putt well,” she said.
Genevieve Ling
With two rounds remaining, the Malaysian golfers will be looking to make the most of the weekend and improve their positions at the home tournament.
