KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian golfer Ashley Lau staged an impressive comeback, carding a four-under 68 to move closer to the top half of the Maybank Championship leaderboard at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club on Friday.
Ashley recorded six birdies, including four in her final seven holes, to climb into a tie for 39th place at three-under 141 at the halfway mark.
This marked a significant improvement from her tied-66th position after the first round.
Starting from the 10th tee, Ashley showed more consistency than in her opening round, though she conceded bogeys on the 12th and second holes, which cancelled out earlier birdies on the 10th and 17th.
She held her composure to stage a strong recovery on the back nine.
"It was a very slow start for me. It felt like I wasn't doing well on the front nine, but I shot one-under," said Ashley, who currently competes on the Epson Tour, the developmental circuit for the LPGA Tour.
"I think the putts started going in on the second nine, so I'm glad they did."
Ashley, who is competing on a sponsor's invite, is making her second appearance at the Maybank Championship, aiming to improve on her tied-65th finish last year.
Her form has been promising, with two wins on the Australian circuit earlier this year.
Despite initial struggles on the Epson Tour, she demonstrated her potential with a solo second-place finish at the season-ending Epson Tour Championship this month.
"I'm definitely more comfortable out here with the top players, and it hopefully gives me a glimpse of my future — that I can be out here and compete with them," she added.
Meanwhile, Mirabel Ting couldn't sustain her strong start, posting a 75.
The 18-year-old had a challenging day, dropping five shots, including a double bogey on the 14th hole.
However, she rallied to card birdies on the 15th and 17th, minimising the damage.
Despite the setbacks, Mirabel, the only amateur in the 78-player field, finished in a commendable tied-44th at one-under 142, alongside seasoned players like Canada's Brooke Henderson, a 13-time LPGA Tour champion.
"Conditions were a bit tougher today. Putts weren't dropping, except for the last two on the 15th and 17th.
"I was really, really frustrated on the course," said Mirabel.
"I had a lot of lip-outs. At the end of the day, this is golf... bad days happen."