KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Maintaining the lead she has held since the opening round and looking for her first win on the LPGA Tour, Hye-Jin Choi will take a four-stroke advantage into the final round of the Maybank Championship after shooting a 5-under 67 Saturday.
Choi, who played on the South Korea team in last week’s International Crown, had a 54-hole total of 19-under 197 on the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country club course. She started the day with a five-stroke lead.
The 26-year-old Choi has 28 career top-10 finishes and placed second at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open as a 17-year-old amateur.
It is the first time in her career she has led after the first three rounds of play and the third time she has led a tournament heading into the final round. The previous two times she finished runner-up.
“I’ve been waiting for this a really long and I’m going to try my best tomorrow," Choi said. “I think I will feel like I’m making the dream and I just imagine on it. I’m just looking for a victory tomorrow.”
China’s Liu Yan (65) was in second place after a bogey-free round and Hannah Green, a member of the winning Australia team at the International Crown last weekend, was in third after a 67, four strokes behind Choi.
A Lim Kim was the biggest mover with a 64 that left her in a tie for fourth place, six strokes off the lead. Kim's round included an eagle on 18 and six birdies.
“It was a great shot, but improbable,” Kim said of her 25-foot eagle putt on 18. She started her round with four birdies in five holes.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul, a runner-up in Malaysia the last two years, shot 65 and was also in a fourth-place tie. She birdied her last three holes Saturday.
“I don't know what's going on, but it's good,” said Thitikul. She credited her many fans in the gallery for their support, saying again the venue was like a “mini-Thailand” for her.
Defending champion Yin Ruoning shot 69 and was in seventh place, seven strokes behind Choi and tied with New Zealander Lydia Ko (68). Brooke Hendeson shot 68 and was 11 strokes behind.
Next week, the LPGA ends its five-week Asian swing with the Japan Classic at Shiga.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Winners of Australia team Stephanie Kyriacou, Grace Kim, Minjee Lee and Hannah Green wave their national flag after winning the LPGA International Crown golf tournament at the New Korea Country Club in Goyang, South Korea, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Hye-Jin Choi of South Korea tees off on the fourth hole during the pool B match against Japan team for the LPGA International Crown golf tournament at the New Korea Country Club in Goyang, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Several Middle Eastern allies of the United States have urged the Trump administration to hold off on strikes against Iran for the government’s deadly crackdown on protesters, according to an Arab diplomat familiar with the matter.
Top officials from Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have raised concerns in the last 48 hours that a U.S. military intervention would shake the global economy and destabilize an already volatile region, said the diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive conversations.
Oil prices fell Thursday as the markets appeared to take note of President Donald Trump’s shifting tone as a sign that he’s leaning away from attacking Iran after days of launching blistering threats at Tehran for its brutal crackdown.
Nevertheless, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday maintained that “all options remain on the table” for Trump as he deals with Iran.
Here's the latest:
The White House and a bipartisan group of governors are pressuring the operator of the mid-Atlantic power grid to take urgent steps to boost energy supply and curb price hikes, holding a Friday event aimed at addressing a rising concern among voters about the enormous amount of power used for artificial intelligence ahead of elections later this year.
The White House said its National Energy Dominance Council and the governors of several states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia, want to try to compel PJM Interconnection to hold a power auction for tech companies to bid on contracts to build new power plants.
The Trump administration and governors will sign a statement of principles toward that end Friday.
▶ Read more about the administration and AI-driven power shortages
The Justice Department’s investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has brought heightened attention to a key drama that will play out at the central bank in the coming months: Will Powell leave the Fed when his term as chair ends, or will he take the unusual step of remaining a governor?
Powell’s term as Fed chair ends May 15, but because of the central bank’s complex structure, he has a separate term as one of seven members of its governing board that lasts until January 31, 2028. Historically, nearly all Fed chairs have stepped down from the board when they’re no longer chair. But Powell could be the first in nearly 50 years to stay on as a governor.
Many Fed-watchers believe the criminal investigation into Powell’s testimony about cost overruns for Fed building renovations was intended to intimidate him out of taking that step. If Powell stays on the board, it would deny the White House a chance to gain a majority, undercutting the Trump administration’s efforts to seize greater control over what has for decades been an institution largely insulated from day-to-day politics.
▶ Read more about Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell
Trump on Thursday announced the outlines of a health care plan he wants Congress to take up as Republicans have faced increasing pressure to address rising health costs after lawmakers let subsidies expire.
The cornerstone is his proposal to send money directly to Americans for health savings accounts so they can handle insurance and health costs as they see fit. Democrats have rejected the idea as a paltry substitute for the tax credits that had helped lower monthly premiums for many people.
Trump’s plan also focuses on lowering drug prices and requiring insurers to be more upfront with the public about costs, revenues, rejected claims and wait times for care.
Trump has long been dogged by his lack of a comprehensive health care plan as he and Republicans have sought to unwind former President Barack Obama’s signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act. Trump was thwarted during his first term in trying to repeal and replace the law.
▶ Read more about Trump’s health care plan
Most American presidents aspire to the kind of greatness that prompts future generations to name important things in their honor.
Donald Trump isn’t leaving it to future generations.
As the first year of his second term wraps up, his Republican administration and allies have put his name on the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Kennedy Center performing arts venue and a new class of battleships.
That’s on top of the “Trump Accounts” for tax-deferred investments, the TrumpRx government website soon to offer direct sales of prescription drugs, the “Trump Gold Card” visa that costs at least $1 million and the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a transit corridor included in a deal his administration brokered between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
On Friday, he plans to attend a ceremony in Florida where local officials will dedicate a 4-mile (6-kilometer) stretch of road from the airport to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach as President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.
▶ Read more about Trump’s renaming efforts
Nearly a year into his second term, Trump’s work on the economy hasn’t lived up to the expectations of many people in his own party, according to a new AP-NORC survey.
The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds a significant gap between the economic leadership Americans remembered from Trump’s first term and what they’ve gotten so far as he creates a stunning level of turmoil at home and abroad.
Just 16% of Republicans say Trump has helped “a lot” in addressing the cost of living, down from 49% in April 2024, when an AP-NORC poll asked Americans the same question about his first term.
At the same time, Republicans are overwhelmingly supportive of the president’s leadership on immigration — even if some don’t like his tactics.
There is little sign overall, though, that the Republican base is abandoning Trump. The vast majority of Republicans, about 8 in 10, approve of his job performance, compared with 4 in 10 for adults overall.
▶ Read more about the poll’s findings
Several Middle Eastern allies of the United States have urged the Trump administration to hold off on strikes against Iran for the government’s deadly crackdown on protesters, according to an Arab diplomat familiar with the matter.
Top officials from Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have raised concerns in the last 48 hours that a U.S. military intervention would shake the global economy and destabilize an already volatile region, said the diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive conversations.
Oil prices fell on Thursday as the markets appeared to take note of President Donald Trump’s shifting tone as a sign that he’s leaning away from attacking Iran after days of launching blistering threats at Tehran for its brutal crackdown.
Nevertheless, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday maintained that “all options remain on the table” for Trump as he deals with Iran.
▶ Read more about Trump and Iran
— Matthew Lee, Aamer Madhani and Ben Finley
President Donald Trump speaks during an event to honor the 2025 Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
