KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) 鈥� LPGA Tour rookie Mao Saigo birdied six of her first nine holes on Thursday for a 9-under 63 and a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Maybank Championship.
Haeran Ryu of South Korea was a stroke behind while two others were tied for third, two strokes behind the Japanese player at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
鈥淚 made a lot of middle-length putts so that's why I played so well,鈥� Saigo said. 鈥淭here is so much strong up and down play required, so it鈥檚 very difficult."
Defending champion Celine Boutier has been one of the hottest players on the Asian swing, with back-to-back top-10 finishes at Shanghai (tied for ninth) two weeks ago and in South Korea (2nd) last week. She shot 67 on Thursday and was tied for 11th.
Boutier鈥檚 win last year was anything but routine in the tournament鈥檚 first year. Boutier and Jeeno Thitikul tied for first place at 21-under par, then played a nine-hole playoff which the French player won. The playoff tied
Brooke Henderson, of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot 69 Thursday. Hannah Green, who earned and sixth of her career last week in South Korea, had a 71. Lilia Vu shot 74.
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AP golf:
The Associated Press
