Andrew Richards
BBC Sport Wales at Royal Porthcawl

I’ve just made my way down to the 15th to see England's Georgia Hall and Wales' Darcey Harry take on this par three.

Hall finds the green and leaves herself with a long birdie chance.

After a dropped shot on the 14th, Harry's tee shot rolls off the left-hand side of the green. This will be a tough up-and-down to try to save par.

Nelly Korda's wedge shot into the 11th green leaves her about 12 feet left for birdie. But the world number one can't make it drop and she stays one under, four shots off the lead.

Angel Yin escapes from a greenside bunker to save par and remain at two under for the day.

But a second bogey of the day for Ariya Jutanugarn drops her back to one over.

Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales at Royal Porthcawl

As Lottie Woad breathes a sigh of relief on the 13th, the news is not so good for Lydia Ko, who is a couple of yards to the right and is forced to take a drop.

Rocky Woad to the 13th greenpublished at 16:22 British Summer Time 31 July

16:22 BST 31 July

Ko -1, Vu +1, Woad +1 (12)

Image source, Getty Images

"Fore!" goes the shout from Lottie Woad at the tee for the 13th after she finds the edge of the course with a booming drive with a wood.

Spectators scuttle for cover but Woad's ball strikes a gentleman on the hip.

Thankfully, he seems to be okay and better still for Woad it prevents her ball from lodging itself in a prickly bush.

Playing alongside co-leader Miyu Yamashita is fellow Japanese player Rio Takeda, who is in third place on her own at four under par at the moment.

Takeda has made six birdies to go along with a double-bogey seventh at the ninth hole.

Lottie Woad tuts to herself after a birdie at the 12th goes begging.

Woad had sufficient power on the putt but it curls wide of the hole and she had to tap in for par.

A chip from off the green and a fairly short putt secure another par for Nelly Korda, who is going along steadily in her opening round.

Korda, the world number one, finished in a tie for second at St Andrews last year.

Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales at Royal Porthcawl

A bogey for Lottie Woad at the 11th and that’s a result of a tee shot which went left and into thick rough, forcing her to chip out.

She made a valiant attempt to salvage a par with an up and down from distance, but this time the putter does not save the day.

Image source, PA Media

Co-leader Miyu Yamashita saves par on the 14th with a putt that drops from about 10 feet.

She's got four holes of her first round left to go and remains in a share of the lead alongside fellow Japanese player Eri Okayama.

Nelly Korda skims the edge of the hole with her birdie attempt on the ninth, before tidying up for a par.

Korda had sunk her second shot of the par five into the bunker, but rescued things with an inch-perfect chip.

Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales at Royal Porthcawl

A couple of noisy cows - and at least one sheep - decide to make a right old racket as Lydia Ko lines up a putt on the 10th green.

Ko’s caddie urges the gallery to put mobile phones on silent.

All I could hear was the local livestock.

The good news is that Ko makes par, as does Lottie Woad.

Lottie Woad has been far from fluent in this round so far but is battling as she stays at evens after the par-four 10th

Back-to-back birdies for Lilia Vu gets her back to one over.

Image source, PA Media

Eri Okayama gives a birdie putt on the 18th a real roll but it drifts past the hole and so it's a par to finish.

A five-under-par round of 67 is the best of the day so far.

Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales at Royal Porthcawl

That’s another fine putt to save par from Lottie Woad on the ninth.

A bogey looked on the cards as she was forced to play away from the flag from the greenside bunker and then hit a weak chip.

But the putter ensures she turns at level par.

Lottie Woad overhits her wedge out of the bunker at the ninth then comes up short with a chip shot to the green.

It leaves the 21-year-old with a tricky putt for par from about 10 feet but she holds her nerve to sink it. Lydia Ko and Lilia Vu both pick up birdies.

It's seven years since Georgia Hall won the Women's Open in 2018 at Royal Lytham - where next year's event will be staged.

The 29-year-old Englishwoman is yet to card a bogey, and a birdie on the 11th takes her to two under.

Nelly Korda's on a roll now, carding her second birdie in three holes after making a short putt that was set up by a sumptuous chipped effort.

Not bad from the world number one as the grey clouds above begin to part.

Image source, Getty Images

Eri Okayama joins fellow Japanese player Miyu Yamashita at the top of the leaderboard with a birdie on 17th, her putt from about 12-15 feet breaking in from right to left.

Okayama has one hole left to play and it's the par-five 18th.

A little further back, Germany's Laura Fuenfstueck has made six birdies in the space of 10 holes to move from three over to three under. A few players have had streaky runs like that today!

Lottie Woad hits a decent tee shot at the ninth, but her approach to the green bounces and then plops into the sand.

Miyu Yamashita has had a couple of looks at lengthy birdie putts in the past couple of holes - not golden chances by any means, but chances nonetheless.

She remains in the outright lead on five under par after 12 holes and if she can make her way home from here in level par, that would be a heck of a target for the later starters to chase.