Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: It will be a dream come true for Malaysian amateur standout Mirabel Ting when the 19-year-old tees-off in the LPGA Tour's Maybank Championship from October 24-27.

Ting, who is Malaysia’s top-ranked female amateur at ninth spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, will join the world’s best golfers at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club for the US$3 million event, having been extended a sponsor’s invitation by Maybank.

Ting was elated at being given the opportunity to play in an LPGA Tour event, which ticks one item off her list of childhood dreams. “I’m super excited to be playing my first LPGA Tour event at the Maybank Championship. It was a dream since I was a kid, and to have it come true so soon is simply amazing. I would just want to get out there and be able to compete with the world’s best players, learn from them that week and see where it takes me,” she said.

“I’ve played KLGCC’s West Course before; the course is long with lots of fairway bunkers that can be in play. The layout requires good course management to be able to perform well,” she added.

Based in the United States where she plays for the Florida State University women’s golf team, Ting has enjoyed a superb junior season on the competitive collegiate circuit. She recently chalked up her second consecutive individual victory at the Schooner Fall Classic, becoming just the third golfer in Florida State history to win in consecutive starts. The two wins catapulted Ting into eighth spot on the WAGR for the week of September 25, which is the highest by a Malaysian since Natasha Oon reached seventh position in 2022.

Earlier this year, Ting made history by becoming the first Malaysian to make the cut at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Following scores of 69 and 74 at Champions Retreat Golf Club, she signed off with a round of 74 on the hallowed fairways of Augusta National Golf Club to finish in joint eighth position.

In July, Ting made her second appearance for the international team in the Arnold Palmer Cup at Lahinch Golf Club in Ireland. She chalked up two points from four matches in the Ryder Cup-style match, which pits the best male and female college/university golfers from the United States against their international counterparts. The United States won the match by 32½ points to 27½.

The following month, Ting blazed the fairways of Sarawak Golf & Country Club to win the individual gold medal in the Malaysia Games, while helping her home state to the team bronze medal.

Ting credited her short game and a positive mindset as the main catalysts for her fine run. “I would say my wedge game, chipping and putting have put me in a good place and helped me play well in my last three events, as well as having a good mindset going into the tournaments."

Forming part of the LPGA Tour’s late year Asian swing, the Maybank Championship 2024 is a 72-hole, no-cut event. This year’s championship will feature a star-studded field including world number one Nelly Korda of the United States, defending champion Celine Boutier of France, 2023 runner-up Atthaya 'Jeeno' Thitikul of Thailand, 2024 Amundi Evian Championship winner Ayaka Furue of Japan, former world number one Yin Ruoning of China, Korean Amy Yang who won this year’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and two-time US Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso of Japan.

The 78-player field also includes Indonesian amateur Kristina Natalia Yoko, who earned her place via the championship's ASEAN Qualifier in August.