Strong made a stable second round of 70 strokes.
- I knew it would be about making as few mistakes as possible due to the rain.
It was a stable round with a bogey and three birdies so I am very happy with my game, says Stark to the European Tour website.
Rainy weather stopped the game on Friday and the second round was not played until Saturday.
This means that the competition is shortened to three rounds and the last is played the night before Sunday Swedish time.
MacLaren leads by seven under par, one stroke ahead of Spaniard Carmen Alonso and Englishwoman Alice Hewson.
Strong and Argentine Magdalena Simmermacher are split fours, three strokes behind the leader.
Stark has won twice on the European Tour, both winners came in Swedish competitions last year.
She was ill during the winter and waited to make the season premiere until now in April.
Last week she played a points bogey competition in Thailand and finished second and this week she makes her season premiere in the tour game.