She registered her fifth birdie on the par-five sixth, before slotting another on her final hole.
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Any rustiness from a four-week break may have been evident in Ko’s opening holes at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
Jang is a three-time runner-up in her rookie season, and will be eager to ensure this trend doesn’t continue in the first of six LPGA events in the Asian region.
Alison Lee, the co-leader at the end of round one, ended the day two strokes behind Jang on eight-under par, alongside world No 1 Inbee Park and Yani Tseng. The LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship is next week in South Korea, followed by stops in Taiwan, China and Japan.
Lee made her debut at the Solheim Cup in Germany last month in which Suzann Pettersen called for a penalty on her after the rookie picked up a short putt during a match play event.
No wonder she’s brimming with confidence.
“I think today is a really good round because no bogey today”, Jang said.
“I think it’s two weeks since I won the Korea tournament, so I have a little bit more confident. Made a lot of birdies, but could have been better if I didn’t make three bogeys”, said In-bee.
“Putting is really key to success on every golf course, and especially this golf course”.
Ko is coming off successive wins at the Canadian Open and her first major title at the Evian Championship in France.
“After seeing that, definitely motivates me to be able to win”.
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Defending champion Shanshan is also upbeat despite losing ground. Three shots is nothing… things can change maybe in one hole.
