KUALA LUMPUR: A handheld fan, a late-night pep talk and a change of caddie helped Malaysia’s leading women golfers find their rhythm in the second round of the Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) on Friday.
Leading the local charge was two-time Olympian Kelly Tan, who bounced back from an opening-round 76 with a two-under-par 70 to move to two-over 146. She is tied 65th alongside Americans Brooke Matthews and Lucy Li and China’s Yu Liu.
Armed with an umbrella and a miniature battery-operated fan to cope with the sweltering conditions, Kelly made six birdies to steady her campaign.
“Being Malaysian is just in your blood,” Kelly said.
“It’s so hot today, but I have my little fan and umbrella. I think the big difference was visualising. Yesterday, only six out of 10 shots did what I wanted. Today, it was eight out of 10.
“I made six birdies, but I’m hungry for more. We just need to catch that momentum and get hot over the weekend.”
For amateur star Mirabel Ting, the turnaround began with a late-night conversation with her coach and sister after a frustrating opening-round three-over 75 to tie for 46th with Australian Grace Kim, Japanese Chizzy Iwai and Hinako Shibuno, America’s Jenny Bae, Dewi Weber of the Netherlands and Thailand’s Suvichaya Vinjichaitham.
The 21-year-old said she had been struggling to identify what went wrong before seeking advice ahead of the second round.
“I was lost yesterday after the round, just so confused,” Mirabel said.
“Before bed, I had late-night talks with my coach and my sister to figure out what was spinning through my head. It helped me wake up knowing what to focus on, the process, not just results.”
The discussions paid off as Mirabel carded a four-under 68 to improve to one-under 143, seven shots better than her opening round.
Meanwhile, qualifier Liyana Durisic remained the leading Malaysian in the clubhouse at four-under 140 after following her opening 67 with a one-over 73.
But she dropped from her tied sixth spot on Thursday to tied 28th alongside South Korea’s Kang Min Ji, Achhiraya Sriwong of Thailand and American Lindy Duncan.
Her round began with an unexpected change as her brother and regular caddie Danial Aizat had to attend to an emergency, leaving an unnamed friend to take over the bag at short notice.
Despite an early bogey and a double-bogey on the par-four 14th after an unfortunate flyer lie, Liyana kept her composure.
“I told myself: ‘Tough luck, walk away with a double. Five holes left is still a lot of golf,’” she said.
“My friend on the bag was great — we didn’t talk about golf at all, which was the exact distraction I needed.
“There are still 36 holes to play. I’m capable of going low, and the next two days will show it.”