Hannah Green insists she's ready for the blow torch as she tries to fend off the fierce challenges and become the first local to claim the Australian Open women's golf crown in almost a decade.
Green will carry a two-stroke lead into the third round after bursting from a star-studded pack with a sizzling six-under-par 66 on Friday.
A raft of major champions including fellow WA major winner and pre-tournament favourite Minjee Lee, British Open champion Ashleigh Buhai and Korean former world No.1s Jiyai Shin and So Yeon Ryu occupy a star-studded leaderboard hunting Green down.
But the steely-eyed 25-year-old ex-major winner herself knows the heat will be on amid forecast temperatures exceeding 30 degrees in Melbourne.
"I've just got to do whatever is good enough to win," Green said.
"I feel like I've just got to stay patient and probably not get too worried about what everyone else is doing."
No Australian has won the Open since the legendary Karrie Webb claimed her sixth title in 2014, ironically also at Victoria.
Part-timer Webb is in a tie for 19th at two over par after impressively making the halfway cut.
But it's the current crop of stars, not the 47-year-old seven-times major champion, who are more seriously challenging Green.
First-round leader Grace Kim ground out an even-par 72 on Friday to remain well in the hunt at seven under and equal third with Ryu and Buhai.
World No.4 Lee, at five under and outright fifth, and Steph Kyriacou, a stroke further back, are also right there.