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| - American Amy Olson produced the round of her life to lead by three shots after a first round four under par 67 in the Women's British Open at a windswept Royal Troon on Thursday. The 27-year-old had five birdies, including a chip in at the fourth, in the toughest of conditions. Fellow-American Marina Alex and Germany's Sophia Popov were the only other players to dip under par and they shared second place on 70. Hinako Shibuno, the defending champion, had a tough start to the defence of the title she won in far more clement conditions at Woburn a year ago. The 21-year-old Japanese had a triple bogey eight at the par five fourth and went on to finish on five over par. Olson said familiarity with strong winds had helped her conquer the conditions. "It was definitely the best ball striking day of my career," said Olson, who came close to a major win when she lost in a play-off for the 2017 Evian Championship. "I grew up in North Dakota where it is also windy and I think that helped. "The conditions were so challenging. Every par four felt like a par five. "But I love links golf and I actually gave myself a ton of chances and could have been a lot lower." Another accustomed to blustery weather conditions is Catriona Matthew. The evergreen Scot showed her experience as she joined a group on level par 71. Matthew memorably became the first Scot to win a women's major at the 2009 British Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes -- the victory coming just 11 weeks after the birth of her second daughter. Having captained Europe to a famous Solheim Cup victory at Gleneagles last year, the player who will be 51 next Tuesday could not have been happier with her performance. "I drove it well and changed to a new saw-style of putting and it seemed to work," she said. "The weather was actually better than I expected. "The forecast was so bad that I thought we might not play at all. "Standing on the first tee I would certainly have taken even par." Popov only qualified for this major with a top ten finish at the Marathon Classic in Ohio earlier this month. Last week, she was playing in stifling heat in Arizona. "I only arrived in Scotland on Tuesday," said the 27-year-old US-born German, who birdied the fourth, 11th, 16th and 17th to offset three bogeys. "It was a bit of a culture shock to face such brutal conditions. "But being here is just a bonus and my expectations were low so I think that helped." Alex described the first seven holes as the most challenging she had ever faced. "But I kept plodding along," she said. "I am just so excited to be playing at a men's Open venue. "It gives us the chance to show women's golf in a great light." The highlight for Alex was a birdie two at the famous Postage Stamp, the short eighth. Danielle Kang, the highest ranked player in the field at No.2 in the world, shot a 76, but it was far from ordinary. Nine over par after 15 holes and struggling to break 80 she produced a rousing finish of eagle, birdie, birdie. str/pi/dj
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