Michiko Hattori fired a 6-under-par 66 Friday to take a five-stroke lead at the midpoint of the Suntory Ladies Open, setting herself up for her first victory in two years.
Hattori, the 1998 top money earner on the Japan LPGA circuit, followed her first-round 69 with a bogey-free round that featured six birdies en route to a 9-under 135 total at the Japan Memorial Golf Club.
Unheralded first-round leader Namika Omata struggled to a 75 and dropped into a four-way tie for second place at 4-under 140, which also includes relative unknowns Junko Omote (67), Kayo Yamada (71) and Hikaru Kobayashi (71).