Roussin-Bouchard leads Maybank Championship after opening 64
Sophia Schubert and defending champion Miyu Yamashita shared second place on 65 at the US$3 million LPGA Tour tournament in Kuala Lumpur.
Pauline Roussin-Bouchard of France took the opening-round lead at Malaysia's Maybank Championship, posting an eight-under-par 64 without a bogey at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
The 26-year-old played the West Course with preferred lies permitted after heavy overnight rain. Her round put her ahead of American Sophia Schubert and Japan's Miyu Yamashita, the defending champion, who both recorded 65.
France's Perrine Delacour carded a six-under-par 66, making just one bogey to share fourth place with England's Charley Hull. Delacour said she felt refreshed following a three-week break and that living in Orlando had helped her prepare for the heat.
Roussin-Bouchard said her experience at the previous year's tournament, when she finished tied 60th, had shaped her approach. Having found that the heat left her sluggish, she deliberately kept more energy in her walk while trying not to think too far ahead.
Schubert, an LPGA rookie making her first appearance in Malaysia, attributed her improved play to additional practice on the driving range. She said the work had helped her hit greens, hole putts and limit errors, with the course's fast greens also suiting her improved form.
