World No 4 Yin Ruoning shot a superb final-round 65 to win her second tournament in three weeks at the LPGA Tour’s Maybank Championship in Malaysia on Sunday.
The 22-year-old China No 1 is in red-hot form on the LPGA Tour’s Asian swing, having won her home Buick Shanghai title a fortnight ago and finishing tied 14th at the BMW Championship in South Korea last weekend.
She took her third win of 2024 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club by finishing on 23-under 265, a stroke clear of Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul.
South Africans Ashleigh Buhai and Paula Reto shared 39th position on seven under with five other players after carding 68 and 66 respectively.
Yin, Jeeno and South Korea’s Ryu Hae-ran all began the final day tied for the lead at 16 under par, but it was Yin who got over the line with a seventh birdie of her round at the final hole to complete a bogey-free card.
Ryu finished a stroke further back third on 21 under par.
“I was pretty nervous,” admitted Yin. “I really, really appreciated Haeran and Jeeno. They bring the best out of me. Just another great day on the course and another great day with my friends.”
She attributed her superb late-season form to mental strength and becoming able to handle anxiety.
“I would say I learned a lot from early this year because I was pretty stressed,” said Yin. “I had such a great last year and I was wondering if I could win again. But I think I just really learned that I just need to enjoy myself out there and have fun.”
Yin started well with two birdies in her first three holes.
She holed two more at the 6th and 7th before securing a two-shot advantage with a beautiful approach on the 10th.
She gained another shot to par at the 12th and sealed victory with her 25th birdie of the week on the final hole.
Jeeno had to settle for second place for the second year in a row, having lost in a playoff to Celine Boutier last year.
The 21-year-old said she never doubted that Yin would make her final birdie putt from four feet to secure the title.
“She never missed a putt from that distance in the two days I played with her. So I knew she was going to make it,” said Jeeno. “She played four rounds of incredible golf, so the trophy belongs to someone who made fewer mistakes.”
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images
