A sublime display of ball striking has thrust Minjee Lee firmly into the mix at the halfway point of women's golf's biggest event of the year thus far. A brilliant front nine propelled Lee to a second-round three-under-par 69 to leave Australia's two-time major winner just three strokes off the pace at the Chevron Championship in Texas. After dropping a shot on the final hole of her incomplete first-round 71 on Friday (Saturday AEST), Lee rebounded with four birdies before the turn to storm into contention at the season's first major. Like many, Lee found the back nine more challenging, dropping her only shot at the par-4 10th, but still ended the day in a tie for 11th as China's Yan Liu claimed the solo lead at seven under. Liu backed up her opening 65 with an even-par 72 to convert a share of the first-round lead into outright first through 36 holes. Americans Lindy Duncan (72-66), Sarah Schmelzel (70-68), Japan's Mao Saigo (70-68) and South Korean Hyo Joo Kim (67-71) were all one shot behind and safely in the clubhouse at six under when play was suspended for the second day running. Belgian Manon De Roey (68-71), American Angel Yin (69-70) and Korean duo Hye-Jin Choi (68-71) and first-round co-leader Harean Ryu (65-74) share sixth at five under. Also at five under but with three holes of her second round remaining, China's Weiwei Zhang is the only other player above Lee on the leaderboard. Given the 28-year-old came from seven strokes back in the final round for her major breakthrough at the 2021 Evian Championship, Lee likes how she is placed at the halfway mark. "I just want to play with freedom. So, for me, I just want to see my shots really clearly," Lee said ahead of the weekend. "If it stays this soft, I think I could be pretty aggressive on the holes where I can hit shorter clubs. Just try and take advantage of those opportunities. "They're probably going to try and make it a little bit harder come the weekend because it is a major championship. Just try and play smart, be patient when I have to be."