Kuala Lumpur: South Korean hotshot Na-Yeon Choi ensured that her title defence at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia got off to a bright start by taking a share of the first round lead on Thursday.

The six-time LPGA winner carded a bogey-less round of six-under 65 at the East Course of Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, matching Australian Karrie Webb’s earlier effort at the weather-disrupted opening round of the US$1.9 million LPGA tournament.

Amateur Min Lee of Chinese Taipei sprung the biggest surprise of the day, trading seven birdies against two bogeys for a round of five-under 66 to take a share of third alongside Sun Young Yoo of South Korea and Japanese Mika Miyazato.

South Korean duo Han Hee-Won and Park Hee Young were a further stroke behind while a bunch of seven players including the likes of Japan’s Ai Miyazato and Momoko Ueda as well as Americans Cristie Kerr and Jessica Korda posted matching 68s.

Local amateur Aretha Pan Herng and Ainil Johani Abu Bakar registered identical rounds of two-over 73s to rank as the best-placed Malaysians in the 72-player field.

With high expectations coming into the tournament, Choi once again displayed her pure ball-striking ability as she reeled in a total of six birdies before a suspension of play halted her scintillating run. “I think my shot-making was great today. I had a lot of birdie chances and six-under is good way to start even though I felt like I still left some birdies out there,” said the beaming 25-year-old.

“I think I put a lot of pressure on myself because a lot of people expect to win again this year,” shared the US Women’s Open winner. “But I thrive under pressure – while it makes me a little nervous, I like being a little tense when I play.”

Strategising her gameplan was crucial, she added. “I think the rough is a little longer than last year. So, my strategy is to put the ball on the fairway first because if I do that, I think I have a good chance for a birdie. The main thing is I know the course very well and I know I have the ability to play well on this golf course just like I did last year,” alluded the confident Choi, who enjoyed the benefit of a 25-minute power-nap during the disruption of play.

Refreshed after a break in her native Queensland, Australian veteran Karrie Webb was pleased to improve on her display in Kuala Lumpur last year. “I think I came in with a bit more refreshed frame of mind. I think last year I was quite tired at this time of the year. My game didn’t feel great and I didn’t have a very good attitude as to getting to where I wanted my game to be,” explained the World Golf Hall of Famer.

The 37-year-old was pleased with her effort, which included a crucial par save on the 16th and a gain on the 17th after the break. “I think having three weeks off, hitting a scratchy iron shot, then making a great putt on the second for a birdie. I was proud that I settled in after being a little shaky with my ball striking early on.

“Once I settled in to the round, I started hitting some really quality shots. It’s particularly a little bit more difficult when you’ve had that break. But I think it’s important to me that I didn’t just try and finish the round. I told myself: All right, let’see if we can get another one or two, not just finish the round off,” she noted.

The story of the day however belonged to 17-year-old teenager Min, who had the round of her life – a five-under 66 to temporarily hold the clubhouse lead. Playing in her first LPGA Tour event after earning her place by finishing second (on a count-back no less) at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia regional qualifier last month, Min was delighted with her performance.

“I am very happy to have played this well on my LPGA debut. My goal at the start of the week was to try and learn as much as I could and have a good attitude throughout this week,” said Min, who was inspired to do her best after playing a practice round with her idol Tseng on Tuesday.

The world number one and last year’s runner-up was the biggest casualty of the day, dropping four shots in her final seven holes en-route to a surprising seven-over 78 to lie T66.

Leading first round scores

65 – Karrie Webb (AUS), Na Yeon Choi(KOR);
66 – Min LEE [A] (TPE) ,Mika Miyazato (JPN), Sun Young Yoo (KOR);
67 – Hee Young Park (KOR), Hee-Won Han(KOR);
68 – Lizette Salas (USA), Catriona Matthew (SCO),So Yeon Ryu (KOR), Jessica Korda (USA), Momoko Ueda (JPN), Cristie Kerr (USA), Ai Miyazato (JPN)