Ashleigh Buhai came storming through the field on Friday in the LPGA Tour’s Gainbridge LPGA in Orlando, Florida with a five-under-par 67 elevating her into a share of fifth at the halfway mark of the tournament.

Her bogey-free second round was one of three 67s from the field on the day, and she heads into the weekend chasing the leader Lydia Ko of New Zealand who is on 10-under-par after her second-round 69 put her one stroke clear of America’s Nelly Korda. Buhai is four strokes off the pace.

Buhai hit all 14 fairways during her flawless round, as well as 17 of 18 greens in regulation. And the one time she missed a green, she was able to get up and down from a bunker. She will know that, with 30 putts in her second round, that her work on the green can be sharpened up to get her in touch with Ko as the weekend progresses.

She went out in three-under 33, with birdies on two, five and nine, and then made two more birdies – on 11 and 13 on her way home. She did, however, feel, that making some putts would be key for the rest of the tournament.

“I didn’t hit it close today but it was pretty stress-free golf,” she said. “I think when I do that, I play my best. You have to just see one or two go in and then they all seem to fall. I burned the edges coming in. I could have been like four-under coming in, too. Hopefully tomorrow a few more will drop in.”

After a grinding opening round of one-under 71, she feels she has clicked into gear. “I felt I managed the course really well,” she said. “There were some tight pins. I played to the spaces when I needed to, and when I could attack I would. I really like the course. I like the way it is on my eye. You have to shape shots. It’s not just get up and hit it. You have to really think your way around the golf course, and especially on the greens hitting it into the right areas and giving yourself a putt for birdie.”

The action will be live on SuperSport channel 206 at 9pm today.