France’s Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (-8) made the strongest statement on the opening day of the Maybank Championship 2026, firing an impressive eight-under-par round to claim the outright lead at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club.

Just one shot behind, American Sarah Schubert (-7) and Japan’s Mao Yamashita (-7) kept themselves firmly in contention after excellent starts. Both players produced bogey-free golf for long stretches and will head into Round 2 with plenty of momentum.

A two-way tie for fourth at -6 features France’s Perrine Delacour (-6) and England’s Charley Hull (-6). Hull, one of the marquee names in the field, stayed within striking distance with a composed opening round.

A sizeable group shares sixth place at -5, including Spain’s Julia Lopez Ramirez (-5), South Korea’s Yu Min Hwang (-5) and Hae Jin Choi (-5), Malaysia’s Linnea Durisic (-5), Australia’s Rachel Choi (-5) and Thailand’s Atthaya Yubol (-5).

The leaderboard remains tightly packed behind the leaders, with several notable names sitting at -4. That group includes Grace Kim (-4), Ayaka Furue (-4), Arpichaya Yubol (-4), Andrea Lee Yang (-4), Sweden’s Maja Stark (-4), Japan’s Akie Iwai (-4), Russia’s Nataliya Guseva (-4), South Korea’s Min Jee Kang (-4) and China’s Ruoning Yin (-4).

India’s Aditi Ashok (-2) made a steady start to her campaign and remains within striking distance heading into the second round. With three rounds still to play, she will be looking to build momentum and climb the leaderboard over the weekend.