Victorian Lukas Michel, South Australian Jack Tanner and Queensland’s Kate McFarlane are the leading Australians as internationals dominate the top of the leaderboard heading into day three of the Australian Master of the Amateurs.

A tournament that boasts former winners the calibre of Jason Day, Brendan Jones, Aaron Wise, Sahith Theegala and Stephanie Kyriacou, the Australian Master of the Amateurs is this year being played at Southern Golf Club in Melbourne.

At the halfway mark it is the Japanese flag that sits atop both the men’s and women’s competitions with Taichiro Ideriha (eight-under) two shots clear of Scotland’s Gregor Tait (six-under) and Englishman John Gough (six-under) in the men’s event and Yuna Araki (five-under) leading the women’s event by one from Hsin Chun Liao (four-under) of Chinese Taipei.

A Monday qualifier at the Women’s Australian Open at Victoria Golf Club last month, Bundaberg product McFarlane is in a share of third with Kiwi star Fiona Xu at one-under par, four strokes off the lead.

It is a similar deficit for both Michel and Tanner in the men’s event with 36 holes to play.

The champion two years ago, Michel made just one bogey in his second round of three-under 69 as Tanner delivered the round of the day – five-under 67 – to also sit in a tie for fourth at four-under par.

Befitting its status, the international contingent is making its presence felt.

Within the top-10 of the men’s event there are players from Japan, Scotland, England, Hong Kong, Ireland and Singapore and in the women’s competition the top of the leaderboard features players from Japan, Chinese Taipei, Korea and Finland.

There will be a cut following the completion of the third round with the top 45 and ties in the men’s event and top 25 and ties in the women’s event to progress to Friday’s final round.

Click here for live scores.