SUZHOU, China, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Lin Qianhui took the outright lead during the second round of the Mitsubishi Electric Automation Women's Open on Friday, carding an even-par 72 to maintain a one-stroke advantage in Suzhou.

Playing under warm but windy conditions at Suzhou Taihu International Golf Club, Lin, the overnight co-leader, finished two-under 142 through 36 holes at the event, the first tournament co-sponsored by the CLPG Tour and the JLPGA.

Ji Yuai, the reigning CLPG Tour Order of Merit champion, was second after a 72. Japan's Miyuki Takeuchi (73) was two shots off the pace, alongside Chinese amateur Xu Ying, the first-round co-leader, who struggled to a 74.

Wang Xinying (72) was in fifth place, three shots back, one stroke ahead of Thailand's Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong (71) and Chinese amateur Tang Rongze (72).

Lin, a fifth-year pro, began the day at two-under but quickly dropped to even-par after consecutive bogeys starting from the third hole. After a birdie three at the 389-yard ninth, she picked up another stroke at the 10th to return to two-under. Following a bogey four at the 178-yard 14th, she rebounded with a birdie at the next hole to take a one-stroke lead.

"Yesterday felt luckier with the two-under. Today, I figured I'd hover around even-par, and the warmer weather did help my rhythm. Had a few close birdie looks late that just lipped out. So close," said Lin, who is seeking her first win as a pro.

"I'll stick to my game plan (tomorrow), prioritize par saves. This course isn't one where you can chase birdies recklessly. One- or two-under should be enough to win, but it'll depend on execution."

Ji put herself in contention for her fourth CLPG Tour win with an even-par round featuring four birdies, including one at the par-five last, and four bogeys.

"The wind picked up this afternoon compared to yesterday, but it was manageable. I've played in much stronger winds over the past few weeks, so this felt okay. But I'm satisfied. This course is brutal. One lapse in focus and you could drop back to even or over par. I'm just trying to grind through every hole," said the Dalian native.

Paired with Lin in the final group tomorrow, Ji said her strategy would be to focus on her own game.

"We're both battling the course. If you let the course beat you, it doesn't matter what anyone else does."

After starting the day one shot off the lead, Takeuchi also stayed close to the top of the leaderboard, carding three birdies and four bogeys in her pursuit of her maiden pro win.

"I can't say I've fully adapted to the course yet; it still feels challenging. Today I made four birdies, but I ended up over par. However, my driver has been consistently solid over these two days, and I hope to maintain that form tomorrow," said the 24-year-old from Kobe City.

Xu, ranked 80th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, started her day with a birdie-bogey-birdie sequence but couldn't build on that early momentum. After a double-bogey six at the 370-yard seventh, she made a bogey four at the par-three next, followed by two birdies and two more bogeys over the back nine.

"I spent the day scrambling instead of creating scoring opportunities. My drives refused to cooperate. Every time I aimed for a slight fade, it turned into a draw. Just couldn't command the ball today," said the 16-year-old Zhuhai native.

"Fairways are critical tomorrow. Too many drives landed in the rough today, which doesn't suit my game. If I hit fairways, my iron play will shine." Enditem

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