Ruoning Yin snagged her second victory in just three tournaments by narrowly defeating Jeeno Thitikul at the Maybank Championship on the LPGA Tour.
Just two weeks ago, she dominated at the Buick LPGA Shanghai, winning by six strokes. But this time in Malaysia, it was a much closer contest.
Starting the final day tied for the lead with Thitikul and Haeran Ryu, Yin had only made two bogeys all week. She needed a flawless round to secure her win.
Yin’s Mental Game Shines
In a tournament where par wasn’t enough, Yin delivered an impressive seven-under 65 to clinch her fifth LPGA Tour title. Reflecting on her success, she said, “I would say my mental game. I would say I learn a lot from early this year because I was pretty stressful.”
She shared how last year’s achievements weighed on her mind but learned to enjoy herself and have fun on the course. Fans might think that staying happy is key to winning.
For Thitikul, it was another tough loss after last year’s nine-hole playoff defeat against Celine Boutier at the same event—a record-tying ordeal.
Thitikul had shot an impressive 64 just a day before but stumbled with a bogey on the sixth hole during Sunday’s round. Despite seven birdies, she finished second behind South Korea’s Ryu.
Reflecting on her performance, Thitikul said she gave it her all and praised Yin’s incredible play over three days without any bogeys: “That’s why we give it all to her.”
Maja Stark and Bailey Tardy ended up sharing fourth place at 16-under. Meanwhile, Hannah Green joined Marina Alex, Hye-Jin Choi, and Wei-Ling Hsu in tying for sixth at 15-under after last week’s victory.
Seven birdies in the @maybankchampion final round for another win!
— LPGA (@LPGA)
What do you think about these close finishes?
