Thailand’s Jasmine Suwannapura clung to her lead at the inaugural Maybank Championship, shooting -3 on a hot a humid Friday at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club. After shooting a career-low, -9 round on Thursday, Suwannapura had to fight back from an early deficit on Friday to keep her place at the top of the leaderboard. She made bogey on holes 1 and 3 to start the day, but luckily, the 30-year-old was prepared to see some bogeys on her card on Friday and didn’t let the early mistakes impact the rest of her round. She ended up shooting another career-low, a 132 that ties her lowest 36-hole score on the LPGA.
“After the round (Thursday) we got pin position on LPGA website. I was talking with my caddie and I said, ‘they're probably mad at us yesterday,’ and all the pin position was pretty much in toughest on each hole. You know, all the corner, back left, back right. I'm like, yeah, today will be a tough one,” Suwannapura said. “I think I didn't really get stress about the two bogeys, and I feel like today especially pin position was not that easy at all. I feel like couple bogeys, it's makes sense. So just ‘trying my best and hopefully make some birdie coming in. At least make even par today.’ That's what I think (after the bogeys)."
Suwannapura dropped her first birdie on the par-4 No. 6 and made the turn at -8 overall, one stroke back of the lead at that point. As birdies started falling for everyone on the back nine, Suwannapura chased the leaders with birdies on 11 and 12 before a string of pars on 13, 14 and 15 held her back. She finally sank two more birdies on 16 and 17, and almost added another one on 18. Having seen rookie Rose Zhang sink a long birdie putt on 18 while Suwannapura was waiting on the fairway, the Thai golfer hit her ball to nearly the same spot, but was unable to sink the putt to take a two stroke lead. Nevertheless, it was a solid comeback to Suwannapura, who will hold a second-round overnight lead for just the second time in her 12 seasons on the LPGA Tour.
Young-and-upcomer Zhang sits in second after shooting a solid 68 on Friday to follow her Thursday 65. The American started the day with six straight pars before her scorecard turned very colorful. She made bogey 7 but quickly made up for it with three birdies on 8, 9 and 10. On 13 she made birdie again but followed it with a double bogey on the par-4 14th, which played as the easiest hole on Thursday but had the tee box pushed significantly back on Friday. Zhang birdied 15 and 16 to make up for the double and then sank the long putt on 18 to take the solo second spot heading into Saturday.
“When you're out here you really have to be throwing darts and firing on all cylinders. When you make a mistake it's how you stay composed and come back to it,” said Zhang on coming back from her double. “So I'm really glad how I fought, and I felt like it was a really good way to finish.”
Three players sit in a tie for third, including three-time 2023 Tour winner Celine Boutier, who shot the low round of the day with an 8-under 64 highlighted by nine birdies. Peiyun Chien and Hannah Green join Boutier in the third-place spot. Epson Tour graduate Natasha Andrea Oon, who will be playing as a LPGA Tour rookie in 2024, continues to lead the contingent of six Malaysian players in the Maybank Championship. Oon is -3 overall.
)
)
)
)
