Lorena Ochoa sent shockwaves through the field at the McDonald's LPGA Championship yesterday with a sublime round of 65 over the Bulle Rock course that gave her the halfway lead, on ten under par, and moved her within sight of her third successive major championship.

With a display of power, accuracy and finesse, the world No 1 made the game look ridiculously easy as she picked up seven birdies - three in an outward half of 33 and four in an inward half of 32 - and could have added at least three more. Needless to say, she did not look like dropping a shot.

After six wins in nine outings this season, the 26-year-old Mexican looks unstoppable at present. The longest hitter on the LPGA tour, she has found the soft and receptive course to her liking and is taking full advantage. In two days, she missed just two fairways and hit all but three of the greens in regulation..

Ochoa started the second round three shots behind Lorie Kane and Emily Bastel, who opened with rounds of 66, but was confident she would soon stamp her mark on proceedings. And so it proved. Her first birdie came at the par-three 3rd, courtesy of a putt of about 10 feet, and her last came at the 18th, a tricky downhill putt of about 20 feet proving nothing of the sort. “That was my best round this year,” Ochoa said. “It was very, very easy.”

At the end of play Lindsey Wright, of Australia, was Ochoa's closest challenger. She lies one shot behind after rounds of 67 and 68, with Kane two shots off the lead. Annika Sorenstam could yet prove the most dangerous of all the opponents, however. The former world No 1 had a round of 68 and trails by just four shots.

Among the Britons to miss the cut were Laura Davies, who finished on five over par after rounds of 75 and 74, and Catriona Matthew, who was one over par after rounds of 72 and 73.

Karen Stupples, the former British Open champion, made the cut after a second successive round of 71, as did Mhairi McKay, whose three-under-par round of 69 moved her to level par for 36 holes.