Malaysia’s golfing hopes soared on opening day of the US$3 million Maybank Championship, as the five home stars delivered under-par rounds to ignite the KLGCC crowds, with rookie Mirabel Ting’s flawless five-under 67 leading the charge, followed by Liyana Durisic at four-under 68 and the trio – Kelly Tan, Ashley Lau, and Genevieve Ling – at three-under 69, all keeping the flag flying high amid a world-class field.
Mirabel Ting fired a flawless round to vault into joint 11th place alongside eight other players. Fresh off co-medallist honours at LPGA Q-School Stage II, Ting wasted no time silencing any post-pro doubts. Birdieing the first and staying bogey-free on the back nine, she credited patience and a hot putter for her surge.
She said, “I had a really good start. I birdied the first hole. But I just tried to tell myself to stay patient,” Ting said. “If the putt does drop, it will. If it doesn’t drop, just keep calm and be patient, and it will drop. That’s what I did the entire round and played really well today.”
“Wasn’t really playing well before Q-School. Struggled a little bit right after I turned professional,” she admitted. “But I just kept telling myself, yeah, professional golf is hard. But we’re just trying to get out there every day and enjoy every second.”
“I bogeyed the sixth hole. I was just telling myself, that’s fine… Once I bogeyed that hole, I knew it was coming. I knew something special was coming.”
Tied 11th feels good, but perspective reigns. “It’s nice to feel that way, but there is a lot of game to be played. We still have 54 more holes to go.”
Liyana Durisic
Durisic, building on her recent victory at The Ladies at The Mines Resort & Golf Club, delivered steady play. Her four-under 68 effort featured slick putting on the challenging greens and a mindset honed from last year’s nerves. She is tied for 21st with a stacked group that includes World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul, defending champion Ruoning Yin, and 2024 Evian Championship winner Ayaka Furue.
“I started really well and just tried to stay in there and not try anything heroic,” she said. “Just trying to hit greens, fairways, and then two-putt. Then if a birdie comes, that’s great. If it doesn’t, that’s fine, move on. Just really kept myself mentally steady throughout the round.”
She added, “My putting was brilliant today. Thankfully, because the greens are very slick and putting is very important.”
Compared to her rookie debut, growth is evident. “Last year, it was just a rookie start. I was nervous. Didn’t really have that much experience. Obviously, coming in with like three wins and stuff, it kind of just gives me a boost of confidence. Hey, you deserve to be here.”
At three-under 69, Kelly Tan, Ashley Lau, and Genevieve Ling share 32nd place with nine competitors, notably 2025 Evian Championship winner Grace Kim.
Kelly Tan
Tan, the LPGA veteran, grinded to three-under 69 with sharp execution and quick recovery. Hitting 15 greens and plenty of fairways, she turned two early bogeys into fuel.
“Today’s round went really well. Everything went pretty well out there. Hit a lot of fairways and gave myself a lot of looks,” Tan said.
“The bogeys on nine and 10 stung – “Just a couple misjudged. Those were actually my two shots today that I would love to go back and hit again,” – but birdies down the stretch reset her. “Yeah, I think it’s just the mindset of like knowing that you have the game and giving yourself chances. I just try to focus on the next shot.”
She thrives on home pressure. “It’s always nice to play in Malaysia, give the Malaysian fans something to cheer for the local players. Playing at home is always hard but fun at the same time, to be able to play in front of family and friends.”
For tomorrow, she said, “I just need God to roll the ball in for me… Felt like my longer putts today were a little weaker with the speed, so maybe I’ll pay more attention to my longer putts.”
Lau, nerves jangling early with pros Hye-Jin Choi (first round leader) and Gaby Lopez in her group, leaned on her coach-caddie to steady the ship. A three-under 69 haul included smart lays and a closing birdie drama.
Ashley Lau
“First couple of holes, I was very nervous. I’m playing with two great players, so I just tried to tell myself to learn a lot from them and soak in this experience,” she said. “With my coach on the bag, that really eased up my nerves a little bit and kind of just started to play like my own self again.”
The lone bogey on 15? A chip mishap in the breeze. But the 18th birdie stole the show. “I didn’t have the best lie on my third shot. I just told myself to kind of go for the middle of the green… and try my best to make that birdie putt.”
Ling, the KLGCC ambassador who knows the West Course like her backyard, rode the crowd’s energy to three-under 69 with five birdies.
“I controlled my emotions pretty good out there. Actually, I kind of rode on the crowd. There were a lot of people out, which was a great first day,” she said. “I think I wanted to give them something to watch.”
Genevieve Ling
Course intimacy paid dividends. “I know this course pretty well, probably better than anybody else out here, so I would say that’s definitely an advantage.”
This year’s focus on self and support has clicked as well. “It’s been an accumulation of things, and of course, this year I’ve just kind of focused on myself, made sure that the team that I have is people that trust in me and want to see me do well.”
Her game plan for round two? “Pretty much the same. I think just look at the pin positions, plan it out well, and put myself in good spots.”
