England’s Hall, who has shown some good form this season, will be making her debut at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club. — AFP
LOCAL golf enthusiasts are in for a real treat as leading players from the LPGA Tour will be doing battle in the inaugural Maybank Championship in less than two weeks.
A star-studded line-up has been assembled for the showdown at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club from Oct 26 to 29 in a US$3mil (RM14.2mil) tournament that will feature almost all the biggest, brightest and most popular players in the women’s game.
And going by some of the social media traffic, they are looking forward to the visit with some relish.
US Open champion Allisen Corpuz took to Instagram to say she was keen on a trip to the Malaysian capital.
The 25-year-old from Hawaii said she was “super excited to play at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club”, where she’ll be seeking a second title this season following her breakthrough win at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California, US, in June.
With five top-10s to date this season, Corpuz will certainly be one of the A-listers to watch.
So too, is Danielle Kang.
The American has endured an indifferent season this year, borne of injury and form.
Yet she made a telling start at the Buick LPGA Shanghai tournament on Thursday, where she carded an opening round of 68 for a tie for third.
Kang is the Shanghai defending champion – she’s the last winner of the China event, which has not been played since 2019.
“I can’t wait to get back to Kuala Lumpur, so come out to see us,” Kang said on Instagram.
Kang will be keen on a decent showing on her return to Malaysia. — AFP
“I can’t wait to see you guys all out there,” added the six-time LPGA Tour winner, whose major title came at the 2017 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Georgia Hall, who captured the 2018 Women’s British Open title, is also looking forward to the Maybank Championship and visiting Kuala Lumpur.
“I’m really excited to go to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It will be my first time out there. I’ve heard lots of nice things about it,” she said.
Hall’s good form is reflected in her five top-10s in this campaign, including successive second-place finishes when she was runner-up at the DIO Implant LA Open and LPGA Drive-On Championship at Superstition Mountain in March.
That form has taken her into the top 20 of both the Rolex Women’s World Ranking and the season-long Race to CME Globe standings, where she is 18th and 17th, respectively.
Ruoning Yin, the young Chinese player who’s lit up the sport with a sharp and solid all-round game that many say we will see for some time to come, will also be making her way to Kuala Lumpur. And like the others, she too is “excited to be coming to Malaysia”.
Ruoning has captured two crowns thus far this season, claiming the DIO Implant LA Open in March before going on to land her first major at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June.
In her last five events on tour, Ruoning has been third on each occasion, barring one – the AIG Women’s Open, where she somewhat lost her way.
That consistency is what took her to the pinnacle of the sport – ranked number one in the world, albeit for a brief run.
Ruoning started with a one-under 71 in Shanghai on Thursday, and there’s no saying where she may finish up when the curtain comes down on the first leg of the Asian Swing tomorrow. Or, indeed, what she might accomplish on her trip to Kuala Lumpur.
Such is the field that when the LPGA Tour makes a long-awaited return to Kuala Lumpur, there will be no fewer than four other major winners.
World No.3 Jin Young Ko, Nelly Korda (No.4), Celine Boutier (No.5) and two-time major winner Brooke Henderson have confirmed their participation.
The tournament will also have world number six Hyo-Joo Kim in the line-up.
The South Korean picked up her sixth LPGA Tour title when she won the Ascendant LPGA benefitting Volunteers of America on Sunday and formally passed US$2mil (RM9.46mil) in prize money this season.Maybank’s Asean ambassador Kelly Tan will lead the local charge and have Epson Tour compatriots Alyaa Abdul Ghany, Natasha Andrea Oon and Ashley Lau on the West course too.
The tournament will also have Malaysian amateur players Ng Jing Xuen and Jeneath Wong in the field. Three slots have been reserved for Asean talents, giving them a rare opportunity to compete with some of the world’s best.
Those invited to the LPGA’s first event here in six years are Singapore’s Amanda Tan, Dottie Ardina of the Philippines and Indonesia’s Ida Ayu Indira Melati Putri.
