Yamashita holds two-shot lead at Maybank Classic after Friday round

Miyu Yamashita shot a 6-under 66 on Friday to maintain a two-stroke lead after two rounds of the LPGA Tour's Maybank Classic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The defending champion finished with a total score of 13-under 131 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club. She is ranked fourth in the world and won the 2025 Women's British Open.

Julia Lopez Ramirez and Pauline Roussin-Bouchard are tied for second place, each sitting four strokes behind Yamashita. Lopez Ramirez birdied three of her final four holes to finish with a 66. Roussin-Bouchard had led by a single stroke after the first round. Lopez Ramirez noted the challenge of the local weather, telling reporters, “Try to keep your mind cool and your body hydrated in these conditions.”

Charley Hull is tied for fifth, four strokes behind the leader. She recorded five birdies in her first six holes but bogeyed two of her final three to finish with a 69. The tournament field was impacted by the withdrawal of Haeran Ryu before her first-round tee time on Thursday. Ryu, who won the Women’s PGA Championship and the Evian Championship this year, strained a finger ligament while riding in a golf cart during the Wednesday pro-am. She was the highest-ranked player in the field, as world No. 1 Nelly Korda and No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul were absent.

Yuri Yoshida, who won the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea last week, finished Friday at 5-under with a score of 70. She becomes the fourth Japanese player to win an LPGA Tour event this season, joining Yamashita, Shiho Kuwaki, and Yuna Nishimura. The LPGA’s late-season Asian swing concludes next week with the Toto Japan Classic at Omitama outside Tokyo.