Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The 39th edition of the Malaysian Ladies Amateur Open (MLAO) will feature some of the best amateurs from across the region when the championship returns to Templer Park Country Club from July 29-31.
Organised by the Malaysian Ladies Golf Association, the MLAO is the highest World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) women’s tournament in Malaysia. This year’s championship will be staged in conjunction with Malaysia’s 2025 chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and is supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports through the Subang Golf Course Corporation.
Located on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur in a pristine forest setting dominated by majestic limestone hills, Templer Park Country Club is the host and strategic partner of the championship for the third year running.
Among the prominent international players in this year's field are China’s Taipei’s Tiffany Huang Ting-hsuan, winner of the 2022 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific and a sophomore at the University of Oregon, leading Indonesian Elaine Widjaja who is in her freshman year at the University of Florida, and China’s Li Menghan. Runner-up at this year's Royal Junior in Japan, Li is the championship’s highest-ranked player at 120th spot in the WAGR.
The home challenge will be led by WAGR number 160 Wang Xin Yao, who recently won the Singapore Ladies Amateur Championship. The last two championships were won by local players, Ng Jing Xuen (2023) and Winnie Ng (2024), who have both turned professional.
Close to 100 players from eight ASEAN countries - Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam - will join contestants from China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan and South Korea at Templer Park. Participants in the Open Division will be vying for the DYMM Tunku Ampuan Negeri Sembilan Trophy for the individual champion and the Mary Williams Trophy for the team winners. There is also a Mid-Amateur Division for the Y.A.M. Tunku Tun Maimunah Trophy and a Senior Division for the Maria Musa Trophy.
MALGA President Tunku Puteri Tunku Dato' Seri Jawahir Almarhum Tuanku Ja'afar said this year’s championship boasts broader regional goals.
“As Malaysia holds the chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025, this edition of the MLAO takes on added significance. We have aligned our efforts with broader regional goals and this tournament aims to enhance the performance of golfers across ASEAN, provide young athletes with invaluable international exposure, promote sports tourism in Malaysia and the wider region, foster unity and cultural exchange through healthy competition and, above all, strengthen regional co-operation through the unifying spirit of golf,” she said.
