Kirsten Rudgeley was in search of Wollongong’s best surf break as the leader of the Ford Women’s NSW Open at 9-under Friday morning, but following a dramatic afternoon the Australian will start the weekend three back after the second round is completed Saturday morning.

Out early at Wollongong Golf Club having shared the overnight lead despite playing in the much windier afternoon on Thursday, Rudgeley made her way round in 3-under 69 and hoped the wind would pick up for the afternoon wave.

“Pretty relaxing round of golf. I didn't really do too much wrong and if I did do anything wrong, my putter helped me out, which was, it's always a little bit bonus to have that there,” she summed up her day in the almost windless morning.

The wind did eventually come but not before play was halted for over an hour due to lightning around 5pm and Englishwoman Mimi Rhodes had climbed up the leaderboard with a birdie attempt at her final hole of the day, the par-3 eighth, for a course record 9-under 62 after the suspension.

Rhodes would make the 10-footer to reach 12-underand look to be a solo leader at the end of play before Czech Sara Kouskova charged late in near darkness to finish her round of 8-under and draw level.

The leading duo are three shots in front of Rudgeley in solo third, with Spanish Ladies European Tour (LET) rookie Blanca Fernandez and Sweden’s Moa Folke on 8-under and one in front of Alessandra Fanali, Kim Metraux and Diksha Dagar.

Ten players will return on Saturday morning to complete their second rounds, with the cutline slipping to 1-over as players did their best to finish their rounds as darkness fell on the beachside layout.

Rhodes, a rookie on the LET and making just her fourth Tour start at the WPGA Tour of Australasia co-sanctioned event, beat her previous best Tour score by five shots when making 10 birdies and one bogey.

“I was honestly trying not to think about it. I was just chatting with others,” Rhodes said of waiting in the clubhouse to hit her course record setting putt.

The qualifying school graduate with a best finish of a tie for 33rd was not expecting the quality of her round after a grinding 3-under first trip around Wollongong.

“I've honestly been going through a bit of a swing change and I kind of tested it out yesterday on the course and I felt it was close and the putts weren't quite dropping.

“Today I think it all came together, all my feelings and I was just super relaxed on the course and yeah, just chill.”

Adding to the ongoing drama on Friday, Folke reached 10-under with two holes to play before needing three attempts to extricate herself from a fairway bunker at the par-4 seventh and eventually making a triple bogey seven before following it with a birdie.

Kouskova was another of the players keen to return from the break and hopefully roll in her short eagle putt at the par-5 13th, a feat she achieved, before proceeding to add another birdie at the 17th to take a share of the lead as she also chases a first main Tour win.

“I'm so glad we finished because I think 18 would have been my last hole anyways because I wouldn't be able to see anymore. So I'm glad it worked out,” Kouskova said.

Missing the drama of the stop-start afternoon, Rudgeley’s laconic style made the game occasionally look easy across her four birdie, one bogey round.

The 24-year-old explaining her relaxed attitude post round before she headed off for a surf and relaxed evening with caddie and mother Donna as she chases her first LET win.

“I don't know, take one shot at a time. Golf's a silly game, so it's hard,” Rudgeley said.

“It's all about millimetres and it's just one of the things you just walk around the park and it's nice to have the water to look at when you're out there.”

Even when Rudgeley’s game seemed to misfire, luck and some short game skills helped keep multiple dropped shots off her card, including after a miscue off the tee at the fourth and an average approach before chipping in for birdie.

“I mean it was a nice chip actually. I was thinking when I was over the ball sort of thing, ‘This is horrible’. The greens are good enough where you can chip really well,” she said.

“It almost becomes like a long putt. I'm pretty confident with all areas of my game. My short game's majority of the time pretty good.”

Her short game coming to the fore again at the long par-3 fifth, when her chip ran 12 feet past before Rudgeley rolled her par putt in the centre of the hole.

“Putting is what will win you a tournament, if you can, a good putt will make you a birdie or a good putt will save your pars,” she said.

“It’s swings and roundabouts, but I mean it's nice to feel confident over the putts for sure.”

That confidence will be key over the weekend, where she will be in the final group alongside Rhodes and Kouskova as all three chase a first victory.

Rudgeley’s recent experience of playing in the last group at the Webex Players Series Perth holding her in good stead.

“It’s nice just to be at the top majority of the time and just competing at that level sort and experience different pressures at different times.”

The second round of the Ford Women’s NSW Open will resume at 7:50am local time Saturday, with the final two rounds of the Ford Women’s NSW Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.

The Ford Women's NSW Open is proudly supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.