The 14 year-old, one of the smallest in the field, braved the blustery winds best to shoot a three under par 69 and move into a six-way share of the lead at six under par at the Pegasus Golf and Sports Club.

Ko, who opened with a three under par 69, was four under for her round and the outright leader at seven under par before she made a bogey at the penultimate hole and then made par on 18 to sign for a 69.

"The goal for today was five under but I don't feel like I didn't achieve what I wanted to because I played good and I putted good so I am happy," said the North Shore golfer.

Almost 4,000 local golf fans came out to watch the tournament on Saturday with the World No.1 amateur once again attracting the lion's share of the gallery. She didn't disappoint as she opened with a birdie.

Ko went on to make a bogey on three and then made birdies on four, five, 11 and 13 before dropping the shot at the last. The biggest roar on the day came when she made a fine two on the par 3 11th.

Players took advantage of the still morning conditions to move up the leaderboard headed by the trio of Colombia's Mariajo Uribe, Australia's Lindsey Wright and former Northlander Haeji Kang (Korea) to share the clubhouse lead on six-under par, as the winds picked up early in the afternoon with strong southerlies proving a challenge.

Three other players Ko, American Alison Walshe (70) and Spain's Carlota Ciganda (69) handled those conditions superbly to make six players tied for the lead.

Earlier Uribe and Wright both shot rounds of four-under 68 while Kang managed a second successive three-under 69.

The attention tomorrow will be on the young Ko as she tries to make more golf history. One of the youngest winners in pro golf history at the New South Wales Open three weeks ago, she is hoping that the inclement weather arrives tomorrow as she plays her best golf in the wind.

"At Royal Melbourne [last week] it was windy the last two days and they were my best two scores. I will just play my game. I will try and hit the fairways and hopefully a few more putts will drop. It should be fun."