Ko, who finished second at last week's event in Taiwan, has been slowly returning to her best form over the past few months, and her opening round is perhaps a culmination of the previous run of strong results.
Ko came into the Malaysian event having reeled off five straight top 25 finishes, including two second-place results, and she is in a strong position to go one step further following a pace-setting opening round this afternoon.
The 20-year-old had a flawless round, carding seven birdies and no bogies to sit a shot clear of Australian Su Oh.
Elsewhere, Ryan Fox and Michael Hendry are off the pace at the prestigious World Golf HSBC Champions event in China.
Hendry carded a one-over 73 while Fox fired a one-under 71. American Brooks Koepka leads the tournament at eight-under.
