Ireland's Áine Donegan is top of the leaderboard at the halfway point of in the Ford Women's NSW Open near Sydney, after shooting a sizzling second-round 63 to move to 11-under-par.
It's the 23-year-old Ennis native's professional debut on the Ladies European Tour and she is making a serious impact.
After carding a three-under 68 in her opening round, Donegan exploded at Wollongong links to surge up the field, flourishing in the challenging conditions.
She picked up seven birdies and an eagle in a superb eight-under-par round of 63 that left her two clear of Australian Sarah Kemp in second place.
Dubliner Anna Foster also had a strong day at the office, a four-under 67 lifting her to three-under overall in a tie for 11th.
"The weather felt a bit more like home, which I knew would come to my advantage a little bit," Donegan said afterwards.
"I knew some people would struggle in the wind and the rain. I knew that if I just kind of kept the ball in front of me, especially off the tee on this course, you can kind of attack pins and stuff like that.
"It was obviously a dream day. I’m a little bit disappointed to finish my second last hole with a bogey, but looking forward to the weekend and yeah, delighted with the start."
Donegan secured her Ladies European Tour card for 2026 last December after coming through Lalla Aicha Q-school in Morocco.
She first shot to prominence in 2023 when she sat just one shot off the lead at the US Open after the first round, eventually finishing 45th at Pebble Beach.
