Leona Maguire carded sixteen pars as she settled for her second successive round of 72 to remain at level-par at the halfway stage of the Tournament of Champions in Florida.
The Cavan woman birdied 14 but dropped her only shot of the day on 17 to lie eight shots shy of Lydia Ko and Ayaka Furue.
It was a frustrating day on the greens for the two-time LPGA Tour winner who finished her round with 30 putts.
Ko was flawless in her second round as she made three birdies and an eagle on the par-5 9th to skip into a share of the lead with Furue who finished strongly with two back nine birdies for a 71.
“It wasn’t easy, especially the wind picking up after nine holes,” Ko said.
“So that’s going to be the mindset for the next couple days … but definitely glad that I’m done and it’s still raining outside.”
Conditions are expected to worse at the LPGA’s season opener with strong winds and cooler temperatures set to have an impact.
Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh (68) and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez, a former TOC champion who shot 71, are two shots back on six-under.
Defending champion Brooke Henderson and Alexa Pano — at 19, the youngest player in this week’s field — will begin the weekend three shots out of the lead. Both shot 70 on Friday.
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