She’s a graduate of St Andrews, so it was about time Morgan Pressel got to grips with links golf.
The 25-year-old’s alma mater is actually St Andrew’s School at her home in Florida, but her leading 66 on the first day of the RICOH Women’s British Open on the Old Course shows she understands golf in the original at last.
Pressel and late finisher Camilla Lennarth from Sweden lead from a group of seven on five-under in what were perfect conditions for scoring.
The field took advantage, although the wind is expected to get up today to provide a bit more of a test.
Playing with home favourite Catriona Matthew, Pressel needs a big week to impress for a Solheim Cup wildcard and there could be no better place to impress.
“If I had a dollar for every time I’d thought about it in recent weeks I’d be a zillionaire,” she admitted, although the focus was there when it mattered.
On her first visit to the real St Andrews in 2007, Pressel admitted she hadn’t much of a clue.
“My first impressions were, coming away from here, that I hated it,” she said. “I’m a bit more mature now and I understand it a bit better.
“The following year at Birkdale I shot 78 and was ready to go home right there. Next day I changed attitude and had a 65 and thought ‘maybe I can play this way’.”
It worked yesterday with seven birdies in all, including four in five holes on the tough stretch in the middle of the back nine.
She missed an eight-footer on the last that would have had her two ahead.
All eyes had been trained on Inbee Park as she started her attempt for a fourth successive grand slam, but after initially gaining favour she fell foul of the usual traps.
The Old Course usually wins in the end when Rory McIlroy ripped it for 63 in 2010, he had the bitter penance of an 80 the next day.
So it was for Park, who with her rather clumsy swing but incredible putting stroke scorched to the turn in just 31 strokes some opening statement when the audition is for a grand slam.
In near perfect conditions for scoring she was almost perfect from the moment she hit a nine-iron to 8ft at the first hole.
After a sand wedge close at 10, she was six-under and already leading the championship. However the Old Course bit back a poor drive at the 13th cost her bogey there, but it didn’t seem to affect her until she found herself under the lip of Wig Bunker at the 16th and opted to come out sideways.
Oddly her caddie went into the trap to size it up and seemed to make the decision for her three-putting from about 40 yards from there.
If a three-stab for Park is a collector’s item, there was another one within 10 minutes as she misjudged coming up from the lower level of the 17th green.
Still, we got an impression of what the quiet Korean is made of when she hit a gap wedge to 8ft at the last for a closing birdie, and a three-under 69 not shabby by any means, but she’s used to getting nearer perfection.
“A little disappointed,” she said. “Very good on the front nine and a little bit shaky on the back nine.”
Park, coming back in 38, did match the template of the Old Course make the score on the front, hang on down the back but Stacey Lewis turned that on its head.
The Texan world number two was level par to the turn.
Perhaps it took a little time to wake up for a 6.41am tee time but came back in 31, including a chip-in at the 15th.
“I’ve never teed off in the sixes before, but the way the weather was supposed to be, an early time is definitely what you wanted,” she said.
After being 5-0 in her Curtis Cup appearance here five years ago, Lewis knows she loves St Andrews but is not quite sure why.
“You can miss it left here and usually my miss is right, so it doesn’t make much sense,” she said. “
I think it must be because you really have to think your way around.
“When we came in 2008 we had the run of the place (the R&A clubhouse). It was so cool. I had a local caddie and told him, ‘I want to know all the stories’ and so I got them all week. I love the history of this place.”
Lewis and leader Pressel are “morning people” but Paula Creamer most definitely is not.
“You know it’s early when you wake up in Scotland and it’s still dark,” said the American, who shot a four-under 68, of her 4am alarm call.
“Coffee is a miracle, but I’ll take 68 in the first round of the British Open anytime.”
Lennarth, a European Tour rookie put together a flawless round of 66 in the late going to tie Pressel at the top of the leaderboard.