KUALA LUMPUR: The Maybank Championship has delivered remarkable drama and milestones in just its second year.
Last year's event featured an epic nine-hole playoff between Frenchwoman Celine Boutier and Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul, marking the second-longest playoff in LPGA Tour history.
This year at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, another milestone was achieved with five holes-in-one.
The sequence began yesterday when Denmark's Emily Kristine Pedersen, American Kristen Gillman, and Sweden's Anna Nordqvist each aced the par-three 4th hole from 88 meters.
Today, Spain's Carlota Ciganda and Taiwan's Hsu Wei Ling joined the ace club on the par-three 11th hole from 110 meters.
The remarkable feat of five holes-in-one came close to matching the LPGA tournament record of six, set at the 1999 Mercury Titleholders Championship.
For Wei Ling, the achievement held special significance as her first tournament hole-in-one.
"I never had a hole-in-one on the LPGA, so I just feel like that is not my thing.
"So even though the ball was really, really close I still don't feel like it will make it," said Wei Ling. "So when I see the ball disappear I was like, oh my God, I actually got my first hole-in-one on the LPGA."
Through the 'Score 1 For St. Jude' initiative', the LPGA Tour's main sponsor, CME Group, donates US$20,000 (RM86,800) for each hole-in-one during the season.
The two additional aces brought the Maybank Championship's contribution to US$100,000, raising the season's total to US$520,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee.
"I'm happy to be part of it and that actually my good performance can help somebody," said Wei-Ling. "It's definitely mean more than just a hole-in-one."