Mirabel Ting won’t ever forget her first round on the LPGA. The Florida State junior opened with a 5-under 67 at the Maybank Championship on home soil in Malaysia. Ting, the only amateur in the field, trails leader Mao Saigo by four shots after the Japanese rookie opened with a brilliant 9-under 63 that include one bogey.
“Shooting 5 under on this challenging golf course is something that I would never thought I would be able to do it in front of a big crowd,” said Ting, a two-time winner already this fall for the Seminoles. Ting currently ranks eighth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
A rookie has yet to win on the LPGA this season, but Saigo sits atop the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year standings on the strength of seven top-10 finishes.
“I made a lot of middle length putt,” said the 23-year-old Saigo, “so that’s why I play really well.”
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Saigo has a pair of runner-up finishes in 2024 at the CPKC Women’s Open and the Buick LPGA Shanghai. She’s a six-time winner on the JLPGA.
South Korea’s Haeran Ryu sits alone in second place in Malaysia. This is Ryu’s 31st round in the 60s this season. (Saigo leads the tour with 33.) She was one of five players to post a bogey-free round at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club on Thursday, joining Wei-Ling Hsu, Celine Boutier, Hye-Jin Choi and Gaby Lopez.
“I don’t remember my play today because today my body feels not good,” said Ryu, “so I just want a good finish.”