Danielle Kang surged to the front of the pack at the HSBC World Championship with a second-round 63 on Friday at the Sentosa Golf Club's Tanjong Course in Singapore.
Driving rain slowed play in the second round before it was completed with a three-way tie at 9-under, one back of Kang. First-round leader Elizabeth Szokol shot 71 on Friday and is part of the grouping tied along with American Allisen Corpuz and Hyo Joo Kim of South Korea.
American Nelly Korda, South African Ashleigh Buhai and Linn Grant of Sweden are in a three-way tie for fifth, two shots off the lead at 8-under.
Kang made the turn with a 31 thanks to five birdies and said her experience playing through delays like the rain-caused pause Friday was a factor.
"I stayed really patient. I tried to stay focused on the shot that I was hitting, more so than where I was standing with the score," Kang said. "I was just trying to stay in the present and focus on what was in front of me, whether it was walking through the mud or whether it was sitting there, waiting for the weather delay. I wasn't really trying to get ahead of myself, and I think I did a really good job."
A six-time LPGA Tour winner, Kang hit all 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens in the second round for the low round of the 2023 event. Kang's best finish in the tournament is a tie for second place in 2018.
Kim, the winner of this event in 2021, shot 5-under 67 with six birdies and one bogey. Kim would become the second two-time winner of the WCBS World Championship (Inbee Park).
Korda said the lengthy delays are best defeated by reminding yourself why you love golf.
"I think I was with my caddie for over 12 hours today, and many people don't really see that side of our life," Korda said. "But it is what it is, and Mother Nature is what it is, and sometimes you kind of get stuck in the storms."
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