Rising north-east winds from Malin Head dominated the second round of the £100,000 Irish Women's Open yesterday. And depending on the players' mood and objectivity, the Glashedy Links became either acceptably difficult or the toughest, most unfair test imaginable.

Laura Davies tended towards the latter view after a 75 left her on 152, six strokes behind joint leaders Sophie Gustafson of Sweden and Iben Tinning of Denmark. "This is probably the toughest course I've ever played," said the twice former champion.

"It's a fabulous layout and it's a disgrace more of the leading players aren't here, but the rough is unfair. I played very well today but I'm fed up struggling in impossible conditions. It seems that every time I've played this year it's been in gale-force winds."

Was the rough unfair? "No," was the calm, considered view of Ireland's Tracy Eakin, who shot a second round of 76 to be two strokes ahead of the tournament favourite. "It is a tight, difficult course but not unfairly so - and that includes the rough."

Scotland's Gillian Stewart, who has been 13 years on tour, said: "It's one of the best links courses I've ever played - a classic test, very fair."

As it happens, Ireland's leading challenger is Aideen Rogers, who claimed a share of sixth position at this stage after she, too, had a second-round of 76. In fact four of the five Irish challengers survived the halfway cut but Barbara Hack ett had to birdie the long 17th to get through on limit of 161 - 17 over par.

The other survivor was Strabane's Lynn McCool, who shot a fine 74, which included a front nine of 34 - the best of the day. Afterwards, she headed for Derry and the Brandywell greyhound track where her dog, the suitably-named Callaway Lady, was in action last night.

Tinning and England's Katie Tebbet shot 73 for the best rounds of a day when, predictably, scores were generally higher than on Thursday. But there were notable exceptions. Spain's Laura Navarro followed an 81 with a 74 and Elisabeth Aronb-Quelhas of France had a 74 after an 80, as did McCool.

A punishing exercise, however, was best summed up by the American Susan Moon who, when within sight of the lead, doublebogeyed the 16th and dropped another stroke at the next. "After being blown around all day, I eventually lost my concentration," she said.

Apparently the weather is to worsen considerably over the remaining two days, which means that Davies remains very much in contention, provided she can get her thinking reasonably straight. After the bonus of a birdie start yesterday when wedging to eight feet at the first, she covered the remaining holes in four over.

The slip that hurt most was a double-bogey at the long 13th where, instead of a six iron on Thursday, she needed a three-wood second shot. In the event it finished in heavy rough from where she had a fresh-air before hacking it into a bunker. "The tricky condition of the greens means that you can't hope to make up for those errors through putting," she said.

Gustafson, the overnight leader, shot a 78, which was 10 strokes higher than on Thursday. "It was very tough," she said. Compatriot Asa Gottmo emphasised the point by explaining her play of the 392-yard third. On Thursday, she was 143 yards from the green for a six-iron approach, whereas yesterday's approach required a four-wood from 210 yards.

Tinning is a cousin of Steen and Ben Tinning's, competitors on the European men's tour. Currently 35th in the Order of Merit, she displayed a tidy short game, despite three-putting the short seventh and long 13th for bogeys. Her position at the top of the leaderboard was secured by a 25-footer for a birdie on the last.

After the jolt of a bogey at the first, Rogers played beautifully, carding nine successive pars in the worst of the weather. But she then let things slide by three-putting the 12th for a bogey and dropping further strokes at the 13th, 16th and 17th though slack driving.

Unlike Thursday, however, she finished strongly, hitting a six-iron second shot to 10 feet behind the pin at the 367-yard 18th and then sinking the putt for a birdie.

Eakin reached the turn one over par for the round but, like Rogers, she let things slip on the homeward journey. First, there were bogeys at the 10th and 13th and after sinking a 20-footer for a birdie at the 15th, she went on to bogey the last two, driving into rough on the 17th and three-putting the final hole.