Maja Stark takes the 2nd round lead at LPGA Malaysia, 1 stroke behind Marina Alex

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Maja Stark took the lead after two rounds of the LPGA Tour Maybank Championship with a 6-under 66-year-old on Friday, leaving the 34-year-old American just one stroke behind.

Storms forced the game to be stopped early; About 12 players (all leading by a few strokes) had to stop their rounds but managed to complete them late on Friday.

Stark posted a two-under 12-under 132 on the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club course. The Swedish player’s round included four consecutive birdies from the 10th to the 13th hole.

The veteran American was Marina Alex, who was playing in her 20th tournament this year and has two career victories since joining the tour in 2013. Alex had the best round of the day and with his 64, he moved up 24 places on the leaderboard and placed second.

Alex tied with South Korean player Narin An and two other players, who shot her last hole to 67.

The American birdied the 16th and 18th holes and got a big bonus when he pulled away from the fairway for an eagle on the par-4 17th.

“I think it was 131 yards, light downwind,” Alex said of his 9-iron approach on 17. “The wind is blowing a little here. Some storms are coming.

“I thought he might come up a little short but he came up short three or four times and went in. It was really hard to see because I’m standing a little lower and the green is a little higher. People above the green were pretty excited about this.

First round leader and tour rookie Mao Saigo was one of those affected by the penalty. After shooting an opening 63, he finished Friday with a 74 and was at 7-under, five shots behind.

Defending champion Celine Boutier shot 69 and was 8 under, four strokes behind Stark.

Boutier has become one of the hottest players in the Asian batting with back-to-back top-10 finishes in Shanghai two weeks ago (tied for ninth) and last week in South Korea (2nd).

Boutier’s win last year was a far cry from the routine in the tournament’s first year. Boutier and Jeeno Thitikul took first place with a score of 21-under-par, then they played a nine-hole play-off and the French player won. The playoff was tied for the second longest playoff in LPGA Tour history.

Keeping pace with his play-off partner from last year, Thitikul shot 69 on Friday and was level with Boutier at 8-under.

Hannah Green, who achieved the third victory of 2024 and the sixth victory of her career in South Korea last week, shot 69 at 4-under, eight strokes behind. Brooke Henderson shot 74 on Friday and was 2 under.