Last month, the LPGA set a season record for the number of different winners during a season. In this week Maybank Championshipthis list can grow even more.
HJ Choi shot a 67 at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club on Saturday in Malaysia and the 26-year-old professional holds the lead for the third day in a row. If she can stay ahead on Sunday, Choi will be a record 28th LPGA winner of the season.
Most importantly for Choi, it would be her first career LPGA victory and would come in her 123rd start. She has 28 career top-10 finishes – and was runner-up at the 2017 US Women’s Open as a 17-year-old amateur – but has yet to win at a major.
She will get her chance on Sunday, and after rounds of 64-66-67, her 19-under total gives her a four-shot lead over Yan Liu and a five-shot lead over Hannah Green.
“I’ve waited too long and I’ll do my best tomorrow,” Choi said. “I think I’m going to feel like I’m living the dream and just imagining it. Yeah, I’m just looking for my win tomorrow.”
While Liu is also winless on the LPGA, Green is the most accomplished player in the top three. The Australian hasn’t won this year but has six career LPGA titles, the last of which came at the 2024 BMW Ladies Championship. She also bounced back on Saturday after a disastrous start to her round.
Green made birdies on the 2nd and 4th holes, but in between she made a double 7 on the par-5 3rd. Her playing partner, Choi, birdied the 3rd.
“To feel like I missed four shots on one hole was kind of annoying,” Green said. “Again, to bounce back on the next hole and make a birdie, that was really the moment I used for the rest of the round.”
Green hit four birdies in a five-hole stretch from No. 6-10, and her only other blemish on the day was a bogey on 18 to shoot a 67. Regardless, she’s still in contention. So is world No. 1 Jenno Thitikul, one of three players even at 13 under and six off the lead.
“You must make birds,” said Thitikul. “Eighteen more holes, 18 more opportunities ahead of us. You just have to bring your best.”
You can watch the final round of the Maybank Championship on Saturday night on Golf Channel. The broadcast begins at 9:30 PM ET and ends at 2:30 AM on Sunday.
