LEONA MAGUIRE POSTED a sizzling 66 in the second round at the Honda LPGA Thailand, though the Cavan star remains well off the lead.
The 27-year-old shot a two-under 70 on opening day to sit in 42nd position, seven shots off the lead in Siam Country Club.
While Maguire moved to joint 22nd today, she’s remarkably further behind — eight shots off on eight-under.
Nasa Hataoka tied Su Oh of Australia for the lead after a rain-disrupted second round, both now sitting on 16-under.
The 23-year-old Japanese player gave a solid performance, not dropping a shot and carding seven birdies, to share the top of the leaderboard with Oh at 63.
Ninth-ranked Hataoka was determined to keep her form up at the end of her second round at the Siam Country Club in the beach resort of Pattaya.
“Yeah, so nothing changes. Just keep going. I want to make more birdies,” said the player, who lives and practises in Florida.
Oh, who was playing seven-under-par, managed to score a magnificent eagle on the last hole after a significant rain delay earlier.
“I was just kind of scrambling really well out there,” she said.
“You know there is going to be a lot birdies out there, so you don’t feel like you’re way ahead by making birdies,” said the 25-year-old.
“I holed quite a lot of putts and some good momentum putts, too, so that always helps.”
Bringing up the rest of the pack were France’s Celina Boutier and Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark (both 64) with Lin Xiyu remaining in touch of the leaderboard at 66.
Boutier, who had two pins remaining when play was suspended, chalked up an impressive 10 birdies — only marred by a bogey in both the back and front nine.
“I wasn’t too worried about it. I just feel like I just had to get it done,” she said about the delay.
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