Kuala lumpur: South Korea’s Choi Hye-Jin strengthened her hold at the top of the leaderboard with a six-birdie blitz for a five-under 67 in the third round of the Maybank Championship 2025 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) today. Hye-Jin, whose only blemish today was a lone bogey on the 16th hole, soared with birdies on the third, fourth, 10th, 12th, 14th and 18th holes for a 19-under 197 three-day total, securing a four-stroke lead heading into tomorrow’s final round.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the South Korean, who has maintained consistency since the first round, admitted to dealing with nerves as she aims to secure her first LPGA Tour title. “Actually, I had a lot of chances to win previously, but I didn’t take them. But now that I have played well in the last three days, I’m just looking forward to winning my first LPGA Tour title tomorrow. I’m going to concentrate on my game tomorrow,” she told reporters.

Hye-Jin is cautious of the competition from China’s Liu Yan and Australia’s Hannah Green, who are in second and third positions respectively. Liu Yan delivered a bogey-free seven-under 65 to climb into second at 15-under 201, while Green shot a five-under 67 for a three-day total of 14-under 202.

Liu Yan attributed her performance to patience and composure, emphasizing the importance of adapting to the challenging Malaysian weather. “Golf cannot be perfect. This course can be hard because the weather is very hot, but I enjoy the hot weather because I am from the south of China. So, even in my hometown, it’s very hot. Tomorrow, I think I’ll just play like today – be more patient and more focused on my game. With the weather this hot… so, yeah, I’ll just keep telling myself this,” said Liu Yan.