Choi Hye-jin eyes first LPGA win in Malaysia after back-to-back runner-up finishes

Choi Hye-jin, who has finished runner-up in back-to-back LPGA Tour events, will make another bid for her first tour victory when she tees up in Malaysia this week.

Choi is set to compete in the Maybank Championship (purse: $3 million), a four-day event beginning Thursday at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club West Course (par 72) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

On Sunday, Choi tied for second at the BMW Ladies Championship with a 16-under-par 272, sharing the position with Ryu Hae-ran. She trailed leader Yoshida Yuri of Japan by just one stroke through the 17th hole of the final round, but her birdie putt on the par-4 18th slid past the cup, ending her hopes of a playoff.

Choi had also finished runner-up at the Buick LPGA Shanghai the week before, making it two consecutive near-misses. Including the team event at the Dow Championship, she has now finished second three times this season.

The Maybank Championship also gives Choi a chance to avenge last year's result at the same event. She held the outright lead through all three of the first rounds and took a four-stroke advantage into the final round, only to finish in a three-way tie with Yamashita Miyu of Japan and Hannah Green of Australia before losing to Yamashita in a playoff.

Choi, who made her official LPGA Tour debut in 2022, has yet to claim her first victory. She has finished runner-up six times since her debut — nine times if her pre-membership appearances are included. She currently ranks eighth on tour in total strokes gained at an average of 1.51 per round, a metric that measures how many strokes a player saves relative to the tour average, making her a strong contender this week.

Ryu Hae-ran, who tied for second alongside Choi on Sunday, will look to add a third win of the season and claim the Vare Trophy, awarded to the player with the lowest scoring average on tour.

As of the conclusion of the BMW Ladies Championship, Ryu leads Yamashita in scoring average 69.44 to 69.64. Nelly Korda of the United States holds the top scoring average but has not played enough rounds to qualify for the award, leaving Ryu well positioned to take the trophy.

The field this week also includes defending champion Yamashita, Yin Ruoning of China, and Green — top-ranked players who sat out last week's event in Korea. The Maybank Championship is the third-to-last event remaining on the LPGA Tour schedule this season.