Minjee Lee - Photo: DR

The 21-year-old Perth player had a flawless second round at -6 of 67 on the Beach Course for a total of 9 under par, without a single bogey over 36 holes.

She holds a three-stroke lead over Norway's Marianne Skarpnord, Swedish pair Caroline Hedwall and Jenny Haglund and 17-year-old Chinese fan Tze-Han Lin.

Lee said: “I hit a few more putts, but I missed a few greens today so I did more ups and downs today than yesterday. "

The world number 20 benefited from strong support at home, shooting six birdies, on the 2nd, 5th, 7th, 14th, 15th and 18th holes.

"It's different from any other tournament we play so yeah it's really nice to see everyone around"said Lee, who saw his brother Min Woo hit a tee while playing at the Oates Vic Open on the same golf course.

Lee won the Oates Vic Open 2014 as an amateur at the age of 17 and has since won three LPGA Tour titles, at the 2015 Kingsmill Championship Presented by JTBC, 2016 LOTTE Championship Presented by HERSHEY and Blue Bay LPGA in China .

She said: “I'm just going to do what I did and I hope more putts are going to fall for me and you know, just play the wind. I guess if the wind picks up I will play just what is under my control. "

Skarpnord was also welcomed as a local. She and her fiancé, Richard Green, who also plays this week, won the women's and men's titles in 2015 and share a house at 13th beach.

She said: “I feel like I'm at my home club now. I live 300 meters from the clubhouse and I play here all the time when I'm here. And to be fair, if I have to win a tournament this year, it will be this one. "

“I'm happy with my score but it wasn't pretty. I took the chances I had and saved some really good games. My putting saved me today a few times. If I hadn't driven well today, I probably would have passed par. I must say that I did not play well. "

Lee and Skarpnord played in more favorable morning conditions, before the breeze picked up in the afternoon.

Hedwall, Haglund and Lin were in the worst wind conditions and Haglund said: “It was a tough day, but I played really well and hit the ball well. I am really happy with my day. The whole game was good and so was my putt. I haven't played on the grass lately. I have been at home in Sweden for two weeks and I hit mats so my short game needs some improvement ”

Lin is hoping she will be lucky again as she missed the cut in the tournament in the last two editions, but she has since honed her skills on the Melbourne courses.

She said: “We have worked a lot with coaches from Golf Australia and they have helped us with the strategy and the low blows. "

Its namesake, Xi Yu Lin, from China, sits in sixth place at five under par. England's Georgia Hall and Australian Stephanie Na are in seventh place.

At the start of the day, Carmen Alonso of Spain increased her score with a hole-in-one at the seventh hole on the Beach Course, using a pitching wedge to get a share of 15th, alongside the leader of the first round, Beth Allen .

The Oates Vic Open is the only golf tournament of its kind in the world, with men's and women's teams competing on the same courses, at the same time, for an equal share of the prize.

Those unable to make the trip will be able to watch the weekend's action on TV or via the live stream on official sites, YouTube and Facebook LIVE.

To know more : http://www.vicopengolf.com/