Rejuvenated after a two-month break, Australian Su Oh is perfectly placed at the halfway stage to challenge for the women's Vic Open title.
Oh shot a second-round four-under 68 on Friday to be in outright third place at 10-under, three shots behind leader Kim Kaufman from the United states.
Oh, 22, has regularly played well in the six previous years the Vic Open has been contested at the 13th Beach layout, most notably when she tied for third two years ago.
This could be the year she takes the crucial final step.
"I feel like I played really well," said Oh, who returned to to the fray after a two-month playing sabbatical this week.
"I definitely didn't hit the ball as well as I can but my par-fives have been good and my short game has been pretty good.
"Hopefully I keep that up and on the weekend hit the ball a little bit better.
"It's a little bit tough with the wind and trying to beat it doesn't really help.
"Hopefully I can play along with it tomorrow and Sunday."
The only other Australian in the top eight of the co-sanctioned LPGA Tour event is seven-time major winner Karrie Webb, who wound back the clock to sign for a bogey-free 65 and move into a tie for fifth at seven-under.
Defending champion and world No.7 Minjee Lee just survived the halfway cut despite bogeying her final hole on Friday to slip back to level-par.
The pacesetter is LPGA Tour regular Kaufman, now recovered from a bout of glandular fever which hindered her throughout 2018.
Kaufman leads at 13-under, two shots clear of Japan's Haru Nomura.
"The last time I was in the final group on a Sunday was at the 2017 Tour Championship," said the American.
"It's just nice to be back.
"It was a long year last year, but you just have to keep working hard and believing in yourself."
Having heard such positive feedback about the Vic Open, where the men and women play concurrently on the same courses for equal prize money, Kaufman was determined to include the tournament on her schedule in 2019 even before it was added to the LPGA roster.
"I told them last year it's such a great thing they're doing," she said.
"We all want more prize money and equal prize money.
"Maybe it's not $10 million but it's someone who's starting to do this and I think it's awesome."
Overnight leader Felicity Johnson from England was unable to repeat her day-one heroics on Friday morning, carding a two-over round to drop back to six-under.
Among the big-name players to miss the cut were Australian Hannah Green and Swede Pernilla Lindberg, who won her first major title at the ANA Inspiration last year.
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