Former amateur teammate Stephanie Kyriacou is confident Grace Kim will handle the heat of playing in the last group of a major following another strong day for the Aussies at the Amundi Evian Championship.

Part of a five-way tie for the lead after Round 1, Kim went out in the first group of the day at Evian Resort Golf Club on Friday, bouncing back from her only bogey of the week early to shoot 3-under 68.

At 9-under par, Kim trails only Korea’s Somi Lee (65) after 36 holes, the pair to be joined by American Jennifer Kupcho (69) in the last group out for Saturday’s third round.

An even-par 71 sees Gabriela Ruffels enter the weekend in a tie for seventh, Minjee Lee (71) bounced back after a horror start to sit in a tie for 12th while 2024 runner-up Stephanie Kyriacou played her way inside the top 20 with a round of 3-under 68.

Kyriacou grew up in Sydney playing both against and alongside Kim in Golf NSW representative teams and believes her demeanour and consistent style of play is well suited to making a deep run at Evian.

“I think she’ll handle it well,” said Kyriacou.

“She’s been in contention plenty of times before. She has won out here.

“Obviously it’s a bit different in a major. Your emotions are different. I think she can handle it well.”

Admitting that she was brought to tears when she shot 80 in Round 2 to miss the cut on debut at Evian in 2023, the 24-year-old now has an understanding of Evian’s idiosyncrasies that she hopes will hold her in good stead.

“The rookie year that I played out here, I had like 9-over and I cried,” said Kim.

“But I can definitely see now how much it is worth, that learning experience.

“The last two years I’ve played it was definitely a learning experience.

“For someone to dominate this course and capitalise it, you have to know how this course is going to bite at you.

“It is very nice to know that I’ve put together two good rounds.

“I feel like now I can comfortably play the course and know what the ball is going to do and how it's going to bounce.

“Course management has been definitely a key factor this week.”

Through two rounds, Kim has missed the fairway just twice and has hit 28 of 36 greens in regulation.

Her lone bogey to date came at the par-3 second in Round 2 but she clawed that back with birdie at the par-5 fourth.

Birdies at 11 and 13 elevated Kim to the top of the leaderboard, adding a fourth for the day at the par-5 18th to post 9-under.

In 13 major championship starts Kim’s best result is a tie for 13th at the 2023 US Women’s Open and she was tied for 51st at Evian 12 months ago.

Recording the first of her three major wins at Evian four years ago, Lee looked a long way from the most recent winner of a women’s major championship to start day two.

The KPMG Women’s PGA winner began her round with three straight bogeys and then made double-bogey at the par-4 sixth to drop all the way back to even par for the tournament.

The response was swift and significant.

The 29-year-old birdied the par 5s at seven and nine to turn in 3-over and then made four back-nine birdies to end the day within five strokes of the lead.

West Australian Hira Naveed birdied her final hole on Friday to guarantee more golf on the weekend, the second time in succession she has made the cut in a major.

Round 2 Australasian scores 2 Grace Kim -9 T7 Gabriela Ruffels -6 T12 Minjee Lee -5 T18 Stephanie Kyriacou -4 T44 Hira Naveed E MC Robyn Choi +3 MC Karis Davidson +4 MC Lydia Ko (NZ) +5 MC Hannah Green +8 MC Cassie Porter +10

Round 3 tee times AEST 4:52pm* Hira Naveed 5:36pm Stephanie Kyriacou 5:47pm Minjee Lee 8:09pm Gabriela Ruffels 8:42pm Grace Kim