𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Lottie Woad was five shots off the pace as Japanese pair Rio Takeda and Eri Okayama shared the first-round lead at the AIG Women’s Open.

Surrey sensation Woad carded a level-par 72 at a blustery Royal Porthcawl on a day the 21-year-old sensation was under huge scrutiny and Mimi Rhodes shot 69 to finish as the top English player.

Woad entered the final major of the year as tournament favourite, despite this being only her second event as a professional.

She had won her first at the Women’s Scottish Open last weekend, a remarkable success coming on the back of victory at the Irish Open and a tied-third finish in The Evian Championship in her final weeks as an amateur.

Woad, playing alongside the last two Open champions Lydia Ko and Lillia Vu, drew large galleries on the South Wales links and showed battling qualities despite not playing her best golf.

Ko signed for a 73 and Vu 74 as Woad had 10 pars, four birdies and four bogeys in tough conditions.

Woad drained a 20-foot putt to birdie the opening hole, but found a greenside bunker at the third and dropped a shot after failing to keep her chip on the green.

Another shot went at the fifth, but Woad holed a long-range putt at the sixth to get back to par.

Wayward tee shots at the 11th and 15th cost Woad further strokes, but a fine approach to the 14th produced a birdie and another to loud cheers came at the par-five 18th.

“I knew I had to get back to even,” Woad told Sky Sports. “I’m off early (on Friday) and I’ll just try a get a good score together.

“It’s a great test, definitely challenges you. If you hit a bad shot you’re going to be punished.”

Rhodes played in the 2024 Curtis Cup before turning professional and has enjoyed a spectacular year on the Ladies European Tour with three victories.

The 23-year-old from Bath added an eagle at the ninth to four birdies for a fine three-under par score of 69 to share fourth place.

Rhodes said: “I’ve had a few up and down weeks in the last few weeks, so I’m really happy to be striking it well and putting at my best again.

“I was coming in fresh and open-minded, it was so fun to have so many friends and family here supporting me.”

Japanese players dominated the top of the leaderboard with Takeda and Okayama firing 67s and Miyu Yamashita recording five birdies and an eagle in a round of 68.

Three more Japanese players – Chisato Iwai, Mao Saigo and Shiho Kuwaki – were in a big bunch of players on 69.

World number one Nelly Korda and home favourite Darcey Harry, from nearby Penarth and a Royal Porthcawl member, were in a group at two under-par.

Georgia Hall, the 2018 Open champion, shot a one-under par 70 and fellow English player Charley Hull carded a topsy-turvy 73.

Hull recovered from a double bogey six at the second, and being three-over through three, with five birdies in six holes.

Four consecutive bogeys on the back nine dropped her down the field but a birdie at the 18th moved her within seven shots of the leaders.