Ashleigh Buhai closed out a topsy-turvy final round on Sunday with a birdie to sign for a two-under-par 70 and a share of 16th in the LPGA Tour’s Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The 2022 AIG Women’s Open champion had a run of three birdies in a row from the second hole in the final round, but a bogey on the ninth slowed her progress. She had two more bogeys on her card on the back nine, on the 14th and 17th, but birdies on 16 and 18 saw her reach 12-under-par for the tournament.

In the end, she was six strokes out of the three-way play-off after Japan’s Miyu Yamashita, Hye-Jin Choi of Korea and Australia’s Hannah Green all finished on 18-under after regulation play.

Yamashita won her second career title in only her first full year on the tour. The 24-year-old golfer sealed victory with a birdie on the first play-off hole.

World number one Jeeno Thitikul (68), China’s Liu Yan (65), Akie Iwai (67) of Japan and South Korean pair A Lim Kim (68) and Kim Sei-Young (66) were all tied for fourth-place at 17-under, one shot behind the leading trio.

Paula Reto closed with a one-over-par 73 to slip to 10-under for the tournament and a share of 27th.