KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — “If you don’t miss your tee shot, you don’t make bogeys and you can make a lot of birdies,” said South Korea’s Choi Hye-jin, summing up her brilliant bogey-free display en route to an eight-under 64 in the opening round of the Maybank Championship 2025 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) today.
Choi carded six birdies on holes 1, 7, 9, 12, 16 and 18 and an eagle on the 3rd hole.
She admitted she though she had faced several tricky situations due to the rough and hazards, she remained composed to produce solid par saves throughout the round.
“I had a lot of situations which I could make bogeys because of rough and hazard, but I made a lot of good pars,” she said through a translator, here today.
With hot whether testing players, Choi revealed her focus is on conserving energy as she competes in her fifth consecutive tournament.
“So like two things I’m thinking about. First is to have short practice and long rest. So it’s my fifth tournament in a row so I really have to maintain my power. I’m going to eat well and rest well,” she said.
Heading into the second round, she remains grounded despite leading the field after her stellar opening effort.
“So it was a really good round in the first round, so I’m just going to think the rest of the rounds are going to be like today. I’m going to start over and not really think about my score and just try my best,” she said. — Bernama
