For the first time in 45 years, the striking personality Laura Davies is not taking part in the Women’s Open. But that doesn’t matter. Given the weather-related opening day and the rounds lasting over six hours, the present and future of English women’s golf is in good hands.

Charley Hull is in the lead. In an extremely crowded ranking list, which includes defending champion Lilia Vu (69) and world number 1 Nelly Korda (68), no one could beat the 28-year-old’s five-under-par (67) par…

So it was that Hull, helped by the afternoon’s easing wind, which had reached more than 40 miles per hour before lunch, was the best of the English team. Five birdies far outweighed the only bogey on the six-time Solheim Cup player’s card during her tour of the historic grounds. No wonder then that her final putt for a final birdie on the 18th hole was followed by a broad smile.

“It was a lot of fun out there,” Hull said. “If I had watched it on TV this morning, I would have taken four under par, so five is great. Yes, the last three holes relaxed and it was a little easier. It all took ages though.”

After a 71 that ended spectacularly with an eagle two on the par-4 9th hole, Hall’s cheerful demeanor was very similar to that of Hull. It was a stark contrast to Gemma Dryburgh’s dejected expression. After her round of 79, the Scot claimed her ball had slipped twice on the 11th green. “To be honest, I don’t know how playable it was,” was her scathing verdict.

Despite battling the worst of the winds, Hall raved at length about what she calls “my favorite place and place in the world.”

“I looked out my hotel room window at 5 a.m.,” she said. “The flags on the range told me it was storming. I thought, ‘This is great; I hope it stays like this.'”

“Today the weather was definitely the toughest I’ve ever played in. And probably the windiest too. It was a real struggle. But I love these conditions, whether I play badly or not. This is a real Women’s Open. I think that’s how it should be every day.”

This assessment has advantages and disadvantages. After what she admitted was a weak drive from the first tee, Hall needed a 3-iron to cover the 160 metres between her ball and the green. In the opposite direction, she hit her eagle with a massive 300-metre drive – “At first I thought I should hit a 5-iron in front of the bunkers” – and an accurate 6-metre putt.

As for Woad, the 20-year-old from Farnham started with a potentially daunting bogey on the par-4 10th hole, but she then showed her class by making three birdies on her final four holes to win this year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

On an equal footing, she is already close to achieving her pre-championship goal of “being there all weekend.” More of that should ensure that.