Top-ranked amateur Mirabel Ting fired a flawless 64 on the third day of the Maybank Championship to surge into the top 10 standings with one more round to go.
The 19-year-old had a fiery start as she teed off from the 10th of Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club's West Course. Her opening nine was highlighted by a staggering six birdies at the 11th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th.
"When I started in the morning there was no breeze and not much wind, which gave me more control over my shots than the first two days," said the Florida State University junior.
She added, "I find the back nine harder since it is tighter, but when I birdied 11 and chipped in on 14, I told myself, I think this is going to keep going—and it did."
With two more birdies on the 3rd and 4th holes, Ting's 64 matched the low round of the week so far, also achieved by Marina Alex and joint leaders Jeeno Thitikul and Haeran Ryu. Six shots off the pace, Ting's ten-under-par tournament total places her in joint 10th with 2023 Epson Tour Player of the Year Gabriela Ruffels.
The next best-placed Malaysian was Olympian Ashley Lau, who posted a bogey-free round of six-under-par 66, trailing compatriot Ting by one shot in joint 12th position.
"Overall, I'm happy with my game; the putts were dropping, and I was giving myself a lot of birdie opportunities out there," said the current Malaysian number one professional.
Lau collected a total of six birdies for the day, which came at the 3rd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, and 17th. She nearly dropped a shot on the 18th as she entered the bunkers back-to-back, but a chip-in to save par that had the gallery roaring saved her from blemishing her scorecard.
"I was getting very frustrated, but it's just icing on the cake for that to go in," Lau shared.
Following her T65 finish at last year's edition of the championship, the 24-year-old looks forward to finishing the week on a high note.
"It'll be just the same game plan as the last three days: no expectations, just going out there to enjoy my round."
Malaysian ASEAN Qualifiers Durriyah Damian and Liyana Durisic carded similar rounds of 76 to remain in 75th and 76th, respectively.
With one more round to go, the top of the leaderboard sees a three-way tie between last year's runner-up Jeeno Thitikul, World No.4 Ruoning Yin, and leading LPGA rookie Haeran Ryu. The trio leads the field at 16-under-par, holding a two-shot advantage over overnight leader Maja Stark of Sweden.
The championship also saw three hole-in-ones on the par-three 4th, which were achieved by Emily Kristine Pederson of Denmark, American Kristen Gillman, and Sweden's Anna Nordqvist.
Be sure to catch all the excitement and support the local stars during the final round of the Maybank Championship tomorrow.
Complimentary entries are available for children under 12, as well as Maybank Cardholders (Debit, Credit & Charge Cards) and MAE App users.
For more information and ticket bookings, visit http://www.maybank.com/championship.
