SINGAPORE – It was hard to know which part of Danielle Kang’s game on Friday was better.

She did not miss a single fairway, hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation, and needed just 25 putts en route to a flawless nine-under 63 that sent her top of the HSBC Women’s World Championship leaderboard.

She leads on 10-under 134 at the US$1.8 million (S$2.42 million) tournament, one shot ahead of her fellow Americans Elizabeth Szokol (71) and Allisen Corpuz (65), and South Korea’s Kim Hyo-joo (67) at the New Tanjong course.

Yet maybe it was Kang’s mindset that proved the most impressive, particularly when inclement weather disrupted play at the Sentosa Golf Club for three hours and forced the golfers to play under a steady downpour.

Kang, 30, said: “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.

“I was just trying to really 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.”

Kang, who was runner-up here in 2018, was also pleased with her swing, which she worked on with her coaches Butch Harmon and Drew Steckel.

She said: “I’m not really looking at Saturday or Sunday. But my swing is feeling really good. It’s (training with coaches) been helping a lot, and I’ve been hitting the ball a lot further.”

Her new Scotty Cameron putter – which was custom-made in collaboration with the famous designer himself and has “DK Special” stamped on the bottom – was equally impressive.

She said: “I absolutely love the putter. It’s one of a kind.”

While things went smoothly for Kang, first-round leader Szokol’s scorecard was much messier, as she mixed five birdies with four bogeys.

She said: “It was a really long day, so I’m just happy with how I battled today. I didn’t have my best stuff, but I’m just happy to finish the day and still have a round under par.”

Corpuz, 24, was delighted with her effort as she climbed up the leaderboard after a 70 on Thursday. A Tour rookie in 2022, she has three career top-10s and is seeking her maiden victory.

She said: “Just really trying to tell myself I belong here, just the same stuff as last year. Just trying to get more comfortable seeing my name on leaderboards as far as the mental side is concerned.

“Everything is a learning experience or a win, so hoping that it’s a win. But really excited to go into the weekend in a good position.”

This is familiar territory for Kim though. She won the 2021 edition and is seeking to emulate her compatriot Park In-bee, the tournament’s only two-time champion.

Kim said: “I have confidence having won at this course once, but I’m always focused on making myself better. I’m looking forward to challenging myself the next two days to get a better performance than what I have so far already.”

Defending champion Ko Jin-young fired a 65 and was joint-eighth on 137, while world No. 1 Lydia Ko carded a 69 and is tied-16th on 139. Singapore’s Amanda Tan shot 74 and was tied-63rd on 150.