'Dream day' - Debutant Donegan takes NSW Open lead

Ford Women's NSW Open - first-round leaderboard

-11 A Donegan (Ire); -9 S Kemp (Aus); -7 H Reeves (Aus), D Darquea (Ecu); -6 M Metraux (Swi), K Bennett (Aus), A Garvey (NZ)

Selected others:-3 A Foster (Ire); -1 C Heath (Eng); E M MacLaren (Eng)

Ireland's Aine Donegan reflected on a "dream day" after a second-round 63 gave her a two-shot lead at the Women's NSW Open in Australia.

In her first start as a professional on the Ladies European Tour (LET), the Lahinch golfer followed up an opening 68 to sit 11 at the halfway point at Wollongong Golf Club.

A flooded course saw play suspended at lunchtime on Thursday with Donegan topping the leader board after fitting in 36 holes on Friday.

"It was obviously a dream day," said the 23-year-old rookie, who was the joint leader after the first round of the 2023 US Women's Open.

"I'm a little bit disappointed to finish my second last hole with a bogey, but I'm looking forward to the weekend and yeah, delighted with the start.

"Obviously the weather felt a bit more like home, which I knew would come to my advantage a little bit. I knew some people would struggle in the wind and the rain."

Donegan sits two shots ahead of Australia's Sarah Kemp after carding seven birdies, an eagle and a bogey to fall one shot shy of her 2024 Curtis Cup team-mate Mimi Rhodes' course record from last year.

Ireland's Anna Foster carded a second-round 67 to move to three under.