KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Hye-Jin Choi tapped in for a birdie after missing a 20-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole to card a 6-under 66 on Friday, extending her lead to five strokes after two rounds of the LPGA Tour’s Maybank Championship.
Choi, who played on the South Korea team in last week’s International Crown, posted a 36-hole total of 14-under 130 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club course. She began the day holding a one-stroke lead.
The 26-year-old Choi is still seeking her first LPGA Tour win but boasts 28 career top-10 finishes. She notably finished second at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open as a 17-year-old amateur.
Defending champion Yin Ruoning shot a 67 to move up 19 places into second place. She is tied with Hannah Green, a member of the winning Australia team at last weekend’s International Crown, who carded a 69 on Friday.
New Zealander Lydia Ko fired a 70 in the second round and sits in a group tied for fourth place, six strokes behind Choi.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul shot 70 and is eight shots off the lead. Brooke Henderson also posted a second consecutive 70 and trails Choi by 10 strokes.
Thitikul, the only multiple winner on the LPGA Tour this year after victories at the Mizuho Americas Open in May and the Shanghai tournament nearly three weeks ago, has finished runner-up the last two times she competed in Malaysia.
Next week, the LPGA Tour concludes its five-week Asian swing with the Japan Classic at Shiga.
