Choi Hye-jin, 9-time runner-up, opens Maybank Championship in tie for 6th

Tied with Hwang Yu-min at 5-under par, 3 shots off the lead

Ryu Hae-ran withdraws with finger injury, Vare Trophy bid in doubt

Choi Hye-jin tees off on the second hole during the first round of the LPGA Tour's Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Malaysia on Thursday. [Getty Images]

Choi Hye-jin, who has finished runner-up in each of her last two tournaments, began her bid Thursday to erase the memory of a near-miss at last year's LPGA Tour Maybank Championship.

Choi carded eight birdies and three bogeys for a 5-under-par 67 at the West Course of Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (par 72), sharing sixth place with Hwang Yu-min. Pauline Roussin-Bouchard of France set the pace with a solo lead at 8-under 64, leaving Choi three shots back.

Choi made a strong start, picking up consecutive birdies on the par-4 second and par-5 third holes before adding another birdie on the par-5 fifth. The momentum stalled with back-to-back bogeys on the par-5 sixth and par-4 seventh. A birdie on the par-4 ninth offered a partial recovery, but a bogey on the par-5 10th followed.

Choi regained focus on the back nine, birdieing the par-4 13th and 14th holes in succession before closing out the round with birdies on the par-4 16th and the par-5 18th.

The tournament carries special significance for Choi. At the same venue last year, Choi came within reach of a first LPGA Tour victory only to see it slip away at the final moment. Choi had led through all three of the opening rounds and stood four shots clear heading into the final round, but a 1-over-par finish on the last day left Choi tied with Yamashita Miyu of Japan and Hannah Green of Australia. Choi ultimately lost in a playoff to Yamashita.

Choi has yet to win on the LPGA Tour despite finishing runner-up nine times. The streak dates to a second-place finish at the 2017 US Women's Open as an amateur, with three runner-up results before turning professional and six more since making a tour debut in 2022.

This year, Choi shared the runner-up spot with Kim Hyo-joo at the Dow Championship in July, then finished second in back-to-back weeks at the Buick LPGA Shanghai and the BMW Ladies Championship.

Yamashita, who denied Choi the title last year, shot a 7-under 65 in the opening round to share second place with Sofia Schuerbert of the United States. Charley Hull of England and Perrine Delacour of France are tied for fourth at 6-under 66.

Among South Korean players, Hwang Yu-min sits alongside Choi in a tie for sixth after six birdies and one bogey. Kang Min-ji and Yang Hee-young are tied for 12th at 4-under 68, while Ko Jin-young and Lim Mi-hyang share 21st at 3-under 69. Kim A-rim and Joo Su-bin are tied for 30th at 2-under 70, and Lim Ji-hee is tied for 56th at 1-over 73.

Ryu Hae-ran walks off the 14th green during the official pro-am of the LPGA Tour's Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Malaysia on Wednesday. Ryu withdrew from the tournament, which began Thursday, due to a finger injury. [Getty Images]

Meanwhile, Ryu Hae-ran — who shared the runner-up finish with Choi at last week's BMW Ladies Championship — withdrew from the Maybank Championship with a finger injury. According to a representative for Ryu, the injury occurred Wednesday while traveling. Hospital tests found no bone damage, but Ryu withdrew to protect the injury after experiencing pain in the ligament area.

Ryu is expected to skip next week's Toto Japan Classic and return at the Annika driven by Gainbridge, which begins Nov. 13. The withdrawal has in effect ended Ryu's bid for the Vare Trophy, awarded to the tour's lowest scoring average.

yjc@heraldcorp.com