The LPGA Tour makes its thrilling return to Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club for the inaugural edition of the Maybank Championship, where 78 players will compete for one of the largest purses outside the Tour’s major championships. With $3 million up for grabs, come Sunday, the winner will take home not just $450,000 but also get a chance to hoist the Tiger Trophy.
The Maybank Championship is a 72-hole, no-cut event, which will see 68 players from the LPGA Tour compete alongside 10 sponsor invites on the West Course at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, which since its opening in 1991, has long been recognized as one of the premier venues in all of Asia. In addition to being a longtime host of the LPGA Tour, the course has also welcomed the PGA Tour’s CIMB Classic and DP World Tour’s Maybank Malaysian Open.
Cristie Kerr, who secured her 20th LPGA Tour victory in Malaysia in 2017, isn’t among the past champions making a return to Malaysia, but there are a few players who have been competing on Tour long enough to remember the intricacies of Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club who are set to tee it up in the inaugural Maybank Championship. Danielle Kang, who finished one stroke behind Kerr, is poised to compete come Thursday, as is Nelly Korda who finished tied for fifth place during her rookie season in 2017. Nelly's sister, Jessica, won by four strokes in 2015. Lydia Ko, who finished runner-up to Korda, is also in the field via one of the tournament’s sponsor invitations.
The Maybank Championship is one of four events remaining on the LPGA Tour’s schedule and represents a final opportunity for players to make a push in the race for the season’s biggest awards, which will be finalized at the CME Group Tour Championship in November. Lilia Vu has enjoyed a breakout season in 2023 with three victories to date, including two major championships, making her the frontrunner for the Rolex Player of the Year. But with Vu taking the week off, it opens the door for chasers like Celine Boutier to make up critical ground in the standings with just a few events remaining in the season.
Boutier sits at No. 2 behind Vu in the Player of the Year race, and along with Ruoning Yin at No. 3 and Allisen Corpuz at No. 4, are all in the field in Malaysia with a chance to close the gap on Vu. Points are awarded to players who finish inside the top 10 each week. With a victory in Malaysia, Boutier and Yin have a chance to pass Vu in the standings. Corpuz will need several top finishes over the closing events of the season to give herself a chance at earning the Player of the Year title.
Nine of the 32 LPGA Tour rookies are also slated to compete in Malaysia. Hae Ran Ryu, who has long been the leader in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year standings, has an opportunity to further widen her gap over her closest competitor, Grace Kim. Ryu leads Kim by more than 200 points, and Kim would likely need to win twice more over the season’s closing stretch to have a chance of catching Ryu.
The Maybank Championship is celebrating the LPGA Tour’s visit to Malaysia with the tournament theme “Retake the Green,” which is an effort by the tournament to not only recognize but to further grow the women’s game. And just as Kerr commanded the 72nd green at Kuala Lumpur en route to her 20th career victory, the tournament hopes to ignite that same “passion and inspiration to fuel the dreams of aspiring athletes” who will be watching the best in women’s golf make their long-awaited return to Malaysia.
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