Kiwi golfer Lydia Ko has consolidated her position at the LPGA's ANA Inspiration in California, finishing her second round in a tie for sixth place.
Beginning the day in an 11-way tie for seventh place after her opening round of two-under, Ko carded a three-under score of 69 in her second round, enough to move up one place on the leaderboard at the halfway point of the first Major of 2021.
Starting on the front nine, Ko's day began brightly with a birdie on the second hole, with four more pars from her first five holes.
Back-to-back bogeys on the sixth and seventh holes threatened to sour the Kiwi's charge into contention, until Ko claimed one final birdie - on the ninth hole - to reach the halfway point of her round at an even par, and two-under overall.
Another bogey on the 10th hole was very quickly erased by a stunning eagle on the 11th, as Ko came away with a three on the par five to move back to three-under.
That quickly became four-under one hole later, with another birdie on the 12th, only to be cancelled out by a bogey on the 13th.
But Ko refused to let that blemish affect the closing stages of her round, with a blemish-free final five holes, including back-to-back birdies on the 16th and 17th, and coming away at five-under.
Ko sits in a six-way tie for sixth place, alongside Germany's Sophia Popov, England's Georgia Hall, and the South Korean trio of Inbee Park, Mirim Lee and Jin Young Ko.
First round leader Thailand's Patty Tavatanakit meanwhile has extended her lead, moving out to nine-under, holding a one stroke lead over second placed Shanshan Feng, who is eight-under after her second round.
