Sun Jiaze moved to the top of the leaderboard during second-round play of the Beijing Ladies Golf Challenge on Thursday as the Guangdong native carded a one-under 71 for a two-stroke lead.

With her second consecutive round of 71 at Beijing Orient Pearl Golf Club, Sun was two-under 142 through 36 holes. Zeng Liqi (71), Cai Danlin (73) and overnight leader Tan Lingling (74) were equal second at the 500,000-yuan China LPGA Tour event.

Yan Panpan (73) was fifth at four strokes off the pace, while Zeng Yu carded a two-under 70 to post the best round of the day in the sunny conditions to sit equal sixth a shot further back with Sui Xiang (73).

Sun, winner of the CTBC Ladies Classic in September, started the day one shot off the lead and quickly found trouble when she made a bogey on the opening hole after miscalculating the distance. She then bounced back to card five birdies and three more bogeys.

"I played some good shots and made some mistakes today, which is inevitable. What I need to do is to magnify my strengths, change my mistakes and remember them," said the 21-year-old who is currently third on the CLPGA Tour Order of Merit.

"Tomorrow, I will certainly be more confident than I was in September in Zhuhai [where she won]. At that time, I was only one stroke ahead. Tomorrow, I will have a two-stroke lead, but this is a good start. I hope to play my best and find a way to win. I won't be afraid of losing."

Cai, a third-year pro, started the day a shot off the lead but could not make a move up the leaderboard as her round featured three bogeys against two birdies. Earlier this month, the teenager won the individual women's title at the 2022 Golf National Championship in Chongqing.

"In Chongqing, I had fewer ideas in my mind and just focused on the game. That's my secret to winning," said the 19-year-old from Hainan Island. "Tomorrow I will be two strokes behind, which is a good position for me as I am eager to win two in a row. All I can do is to adjust my mindset, don't make low-level mistakes, and just concentrate on every shot."

Rookie pro Zeng put herself in contention when she held steady to card three birdies and two bogeys.

"I'm glad I finished under-par today. It's difficult in winter, especially on the greens. The change in the hardness of the greens and the judgment of the putting was a big test," said the 16-year-old Jiangxi native.

"Since last year, I have missed out on being the champion countless times. I was sorry I could not win a CLPGA championship in my amateur time. I hope I can get the championship trophy tomorrow."

Tan, a 39-year-old Beijing-based golf coach, suffered a poor finish for the second straight day as she closed with a bogey six on the final hole, one of six dropped shots in her round that included four birdies.

"Unfortunately, my luck is not as good as yesterday, especially with the putter, always poor. Most of my birdies were about half a yard, and the farthest was two yards," said the Shandong native.

"I didn't play well today. Four bogeys in a row and three birdies in a row made me feel like I was on a roller coaster. Today I have experienced physical and psychological tests. In any case, there is still a chance tomorrow, I will try my best."

Cecilia Jia was the top foreigner in the 47-player field as the Canadian carded a seven-over 79 to fall 12 shots back.

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