Ryu Withdraws From Maybank Championship Before First Round

Haeran Ryu has withdrawn from the LPGA Tour's Maybank Championship before her first round in Kuala Lumpur, removing one of the biggest names from the field just as the tournament was about to begin. The world number three, a major winner this year at both the Women's PGA Championship and the Evian Championship, was listed at the bottom of the results as a withdrawal, with no reason given for her decision just before her scheduled tee time. The event at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club features a 78-player, no-cut field competing for a three-million-dollar purse, and Ryu's absence reshapes the opening rounds. It follows a frustrating finish last week, when she led the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea by four strokes going into the final round but shot 73 to finish one stroke behind winner Yuri Yoshida in a tie for second. Ryu had been one of the form players of the Asian swing, and her withdrawal leaves defending champion Miyu Yamashita, world number one Nelly Korda and world number two Jeeno Thitikul to headline the field in Malaysia. For the tournament, losing a two-time major champion of this season on the morning of round one is a significant blow, even with such a strong field remaining.