Spectacular 21-year-old rookie Patty Tavatanakit, still in the lead after two rounds, is one of 4 players to have given two cards under the 70s. After a bogey on her first hole at the tee of the 10, she reacted immediately with a magnificent eagle of one. wedge shot directly entered at 15.

The Thai is still closely followed by the former Chinese world number 1 Shanshan Feng whose second round in competition for 2 months was punctuated by 16 birdies and 6 bogeys.

A skewer of world No. 1 in the Top 10 including three Koreans, the reigning champion Mirim Lee, who won the 2020 edition in the play-off; Jin Young Ko, 2019 Laureate; and Inbee Park, winner in 2013.

A second ANA Inspiration title could bring Park back to the top of the Rolex rankings, a position she held for 106 cumulative weeks during her illustrious career. As expected, Park is not focused on Sunday's result. She has her eyes set on the course and the weather, which could peak over the weekend.

“It's just the heat that we have to watch out for,” said Park, who delivered a solid 69 on Friday. “The course will be firm and fast which is a good thing, and obviously you just need to have a lot of energy to play in this heat.”

Temperatures have firmed up Dinah Shore's perfectly groomed course and also grabbed Ko's undivided attention as she heads into the weekend. “It's going to be firmer than the last two days,” Ko said. “I'm going to focus on my game, on the course and I'm just going to enjoy.”

For Lee, a solid final round would help him qualify for Team Korea at the Tokyo Olympics in August. Currently No. 31 in the Rolex table, Lee needs to pass at least six of his compatriots to potentially lock in a spot on what is possibly the toughest team to beat in any Games. It would appear that her second round of 70 was a step towards both her successful title defense and a trip to Tokyo, but Lee was more focused on how she could continue to improve before the weekend.

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