LPGA Tour rookie Mao Saigo of Japan takes 1st-round lead at Malaysian tournament

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — LPGA Tour rookie Mao Saigo birdied six of her first nine holes on Thursday for a 9-under 63 and a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Maybank Championship.

Haeran Ryu of South Korea was a stroke behind while two others were tied for third, two strokes behind the Japanese player at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

“I made a lot of middle-length putts so that's why I played so well,” Saigo said. “There is so much strong up and down play required, so it’s very difficult."

Defending champion Celine Boutier has been one of the hottest players on the Asian swing, with back-to-back top-10 finishes at Shanghai (tied for ninth) two weeks ago and in South Korea (2nd) last week. She shot 67 on Thursday and was tied for 11th.

Boutier’s win last year was anything but routine in the tournament’s first year. Boutier and Jeeno Thitikul tied for first place at 21-under par, then played a nine-hole playoff which the French player won. The playoff tied for the second-longest in LPGA Tour history.

Brooke Henderson shot 69 Thursday. Hannah Green, who earned her third victory of 2024 and sixth of her career last week in South Korea, had a 71. Lilia Vu shot 74.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Maja Stark of Sweden hits from a fairway at the 2nd fairway during the first round of Maybank LPGA Championship golf tournament at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country club in Kuala Lumpur, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Yuka Saso of Japan lines up a putt on the 2nd green during the first round of Maybank LPGA Championship golf tournament at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country club in Kuala Lumpur, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Yuka Saso of Japan lines up a putt on the 2nd green during the first round of Maybank LPGA Championship golf tournament at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country club in Kuala Lumpur, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Yuka Saso of Japan, second right in front, walks on the 2nd fairway during the first round of Maybank LPGA Championship golf tournament at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country club in Kuala Lumpur, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Narin An of South Korea lines up a putt on the 2nd green during the first round of Maybank LPGA Championship golf tournament at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country club in Kuala Lumpur, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Hannah Green of Australia holds the winning trophy during the awards ceremony after winning the LPGA Ladies Championship golf tournament at the Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, South Korea, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Mao Saigo of Japan watches her shot on the 9th fairway at the 9th green during the first round of Maybank LPGA Championship golf tournament at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country club in Kuala Lumpur, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Mao Saigo of Japan watches her shot on the 3th fairway during the first round of Maybank LPGA Championship golf tournament at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country club in Kuala Lumpur, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Some celebrities donned anti-ICE pins at the Golden Globes on Sunday in tribute to Renee Good, who was shot and killed in her car by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer this week in Minneapolis.

The black-and-white pins displayed slogans like “BE GOOD” and “ICE OUT,” introducing a political angle into the awards show after last year’s relatively apolitical ceremony.

Mark Ruffalo, Wanda Sykes, Jean Smart and Natasha Lyonne wore the pins on the red carpet, and other celebrities were expected to have them on display as well.

Since the shooting Wednesday, protests have broken out across the country, calling for accountability for Good's death as well as a separate shooting in Portland where Border Patrol agents wounded two people. Some protests have resulted in clashes with law enforcement, especially in Minneapolis, where ICE is carrying out its largest immigration enforcement operation to date.

“We need every part of civil society, society to speak up,” said Nelini Stamp of Working Families Power, one of the organizers for the anti-ICE pins. “We need our artists. We need our entertainers. We need the folks who reflect society.”

Congressmembers have vowed an assertive response, and an FBI investigation into Good's killing is ongoing. The Trump administration has doubled down in defending the ICE officer's actions, maintaining that he was acting in self-defense and thought Good would hit him with her car.

Just a week before Good was killed, an off-duty ICE officer fatally shot and killed 43-year-old Keith Porter in Los Angeles. His death sparked protests in the Los Angeles area, calling for the officer responsible to be arrested.

The idea for the “ICE OUT” pins began with a late-night text exchange earlier this week between Stamp and Jess Morales Rocketto, the executive director of a Latino advocacy group called Maremoto.

They know that high-profile cultural moments can introduce millions of viewers to social issues. This is the third year of Golden Globes activism for Morales Rocketto, who has previously rallied Hollywood to protest the Trump administration’s family separation policies. Stamp said she always thinks of the 1973 Oscars, when Sacheen Littlefeather took Marlon Brando’s place and declined his award to protest American entertainment’s portrayal of Native Americans.

So, the two organizers began calling up the celebrities and influencers they knew, who in turn brought their campaign to the more prominent figures in their circles. That initial outreach included labor activist Ai-jen Poo, who walked the Golden Globes’ red carpet in 2018 with Meryl Streep to highlight the Time’s Up movement.

“There is a longstanding tradition of people who create art taking a stand for justice in moments,” Stamp said. “We’re going to continue that tradition.”

Allies of their movement have been attending the “fancy events” that take place in the days leading up to the Golden Globes, according to Stamp. They’re passing out the pins at parties and distributing them to neighbors who will be attending tonight’s ceremony.

“They put it in their purse and they’re like, ‘Hey would you wear this?’ It’s so grassroots,” Morales Rocketto said.

The organizers pledged to continue the campaign throughout awards season to ensure the public knows the names of Good and others killed by ICE agents in shootings.

For more coverage of the 2026 Golden Globes, visit https://apnews.com/hub/golden-globe-awards

Jean Smart poses in the press room with the award for best performance by a female actor in a television series – musical or comedy for "Hacks" during the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Natasha Lyonne, left, and Clea DuVall arrive at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Wanda Sykes arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Mark Ruffalo, left, and Sunrise Coigney arrive at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Mark Ruffalo, wearing a "Be Good" pin, arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)