Malaysian golfer Ashley Lau (left) celebrates with Mirabel Ting after finishing the fourth round of the Maybank Championship at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC). — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
MALAYSIA's top amateur Mirabel Ting may be only 18 but she proved to be way above her age in golf by finishing an impressive tied-12th today in her maiden LPGA Tour appearance at the Maybank Championship at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club on Sunday.
And that performance also saw her emerging as the highest-placed Malaysian of the week in the RM13 million tournament.
The Sarawakian teenager's composed final round of two-under 70 electrified the home crowd as she completed the tournament with a four-day total of 12-under 276 - a remarkable achievement as the sole amateur in the 78-player field.
The day became even more memorable for Malaysian fans as Ashley Lau secured a commendable tied-22nd finish, closing with a 71 for a total of 278.
This marked a historic moment in Malaysian golf, with two national players finishing in the top 22 - the best collective performance by home players in a locally-hosted LPGA event.
The previous benchmark was set by Kelly Tan at the 2010 Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, where she finished tied-32nd in a field of 60.
Mirabel's final round showcased her resilience, as she produced a mixed bag of three birdies and two bogeys over 17 holes.
She saved her best for the last, reaching the par-five 18th in two shots. Though her eagle attempt slid past, she confidently sank the birdie putt to conclude her tournament in style, drawing enthusiastic applause from the gallery.
The moment carried special emotional weight for Mirabel, who dedicated her performance to her late father.
"I think I got a little bit emotional back there, especially having everyone out here but not my dad," said Mirabel.
"My dad passed away two years ago. To be able to do this in front of the home crowd, having the support means a lot to me.
"My dad would be looking above me and I think he would be proud of me today."
Still processing her achievement as the top Malaysian finisher, Mirabel said: "Words can't describe how much it means to me to be able to perform this week and perform on a big stage. I finally believe and have faith in myself that I can do big things on a big stage."
For Olympian Ashley, while unable to replicate her stellar third-round performance, the result still represented her strongest showing in an LPGA Tour event - a significant improvement from last year's tied-65th finish.
"It was just a very slow day. Didn't really make a lot of putts, but I'm happy with the way I finished today."
The tournament success adds to Ashley's recent momentum, following her career-best runner-up finish at the Epson Tour Championship earlier this month. Her focus now shifts to the LPGA Qualifying Series Final Stage in early December, where she'll compete for one of 25 available tour cards.
"The biggest takeaway from this week is that I can compete out here and be with the top players, so it gives me a lot of confidence knowing that I can do this," said Ashley, who claimed victory at the Victorian Women's Open earlier this year.
Meanwhile, China's world number four Yin Ruoning fired seven birdies en route to winning the US$3 million (RM13 million) 2024 Maybank Championship at the KLGCC.
It was an unforgettable victory for Ruoning too as winning was achieved by pipping Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul, her best friend, by one stroke and also upstage another close buddy inn the form of South Korean Ryu Hae-Ran.
