Lauren Coughlin, a winless 31-year-old veteran, maintained her lead after the second round of the CPKC Women's Open on Friday in Calgary.
Leona Maguire is nine shots off the lead at three over, but makes the cut for the weekend after a second round 73 to go with her 74 from Thursday.
The Cavan golfer had four bogeys and a solitary birdie on the front line and looked to be getting the weekend off ahead of the Olympics before birdies at 16 and 17 saw her sneak inside the cutline of four over.
Her Paris 2024 team-mate Stephanie Meadow can rest up ahead of the Games after a 76 to go with Thursday's 77 left her with on nine over through 36 holes.
Coughlin shot a two-under-par 70 at Earl Grey Golf Club on Friday and wound up at six-under 138. She sits one stroke ahead of South Korea's Haeran Ryu, who logged a second-round 69, and Australia's Hannah Green, who shot a 70 on Friday.
Lilia Vu (70), Jennifer Kupcho (72) and New Zealand's Lydia Ko (71) are tied for fourth at three under.
Ryann O'Toole (68), Ally Ewing (69), Rose Zhang (71), Japan's Yuri Yoshida (71), South Korea's Hye-Jin Choi (72) and Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn (73) share seventh place at 2 under.
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Coughlin, who finished in the top five in two majors earlier this year, is looking forward to playing in the final group this weekend.
"Means you're playing really good golf. You get to sleep in, which is nice, too," she said. "Yeah, I'm excited. Still two more rounds to go. Just trying to stay in the moment as much as I can and stay in each shot as best I can and not try to get too ahead of myself.
"I feel like I did a little bit today. I felt like I'm playing so good I kept getting so excited and wanting to go and we were waiting so much. Just staying super patient is going to be the big key."
Coughlin birdied three of her first five holes on Friday, then made 12 pars and one bogey (at the par-4 11th hole) the rest of the way.
"The front nine, you have to take advantage," Coughlin said. "If not, the back nine can really get you."
Ryu was tied for the lead until she bogeyed the par-four 18th hole. Her up-and-down round included seven birdies and four bogeys.
Green was similarly inconsistent, carding five birdies and three bogeys.
"It was tough again out there," Green said. "There was some pretty strong wind gusts, especially our last few holes, so committing to the shot you were envisioning was kind of difficult.
"Yeah, I'm kind of glad that I'm finished for Friday and I can go relax now."
Megan Khang, who captured the championship when the event was played in Vancouver last year, shot a 71 on Friday to sit in a tie for 26th at one over par.
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