Lorena looks champion as she follows footsteps of greats

That it was compiled by the world No.1 will come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the long tradition of men's golf on this historic Old Course.

After all, six of the past seven Open champions here held that station when claiming the Claret Jug.

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Now the Mexican, Lorena Ochoa, has taken a baby step towards following in the illustrious footsteps of Jack Nicklaus (twice), Tiger Woods (twice), Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros after a wonderful round of 67 gave her a two-stroke lead in the Ricoh Women's British Open.

Little-known Swede Louise Fribeg and Korean In-Bee Park are her closest pursuers, while Japanese superstar Ai Miyazato, 22, must have done wonders for the primetime viewing audience back home with a fine round of 70.

Glory be, there was even a British presence on the leaderboard as Yorkshire lass Rebecca Hudson compiled a 70 of her own. 'No bogeys, no pot bunkers, just really sensible, relaxed golf,' she said.

When Hudson turned pro five years ago she was armed with the best amateur record of any British player in the modern era. Here, it seemed, was the player the home game was waiting for to finally displace Laura Davies. Attractive, personable and with a love of the limelight, Hudson was going to be the girl who put women's golf back on the map.

Why it didn't happen was down to a lot of reasons but prominent among them was surely the fact she joined the pro ranks without a single helping hand from the world of sponsorship.

At one point, Hudson was working 75 hours a week during the winter in a Doncaster hotel simply to feed her golfing habit.

Hudson tells this story without complaint, by the way. Indeed she deflects any suggestion that it played a part in stunting her progress.

But, when you study her plight, is it any wonder we never produce any top women golfers? Can you imagine what would have happened if Hudson, with her record, had been American or Japanese, Korean or Scandinavian?

She would have had sponsors falling over her. Now it looks as if the 28-year-old will realise her talent in spite of the system, rather than because of it.

As ever at the Home of Golf, scoring was dictated by the wind, with every good round played before it rose a notch. It turned colder, too, and for those players suffering the bad luck of the draw it became a matter of trying to stay in touch — Annika Sorenstam predictably doing that with a 72.

At one point on the 16th she was so close to a pot bunker she had to play her recovery shot on her knees. But she rose from the indignity to finish with two successive birdies and a oneunder- par score.

The distinguished trio of Davies, Karrie Webb and Juli Inkster — 16 majors between them — fully illustrated the change in cir - c umstances, mustering a single birdie between them, with Davies stumbling to a sad 79.

By that stage Ochoa had long since departed the scene to savour her round among the 25 - strong extended family members who have accompanied her to this special place.

If you want a reason to follow women's golf, Ochoa is a pretty good place to start. Not only does she have all the shots; this is a girl who makes a point of seeking out the Mexican help at the tournaments she plays in America and thanking them for their support.

No wonder her galleries in the U.S are always full of her compadres. Back home golf is a nothing sport, of course, but even those with eyes only for football follow her fortunes.

Her stunning progress, however, has not been without its disappointments in the majors.

She has reached No.1 without winning any, and in cruel quarters gained the nickname Ochoker — an absurd judgment given that she is only 26. 'I always thought 2007 would be the year I start winning majors and I still have one more chance,' she said.

Miyazato holds similar status to Ochoa in Japan and then some.

When Tiger came to town for the men's Dunlop Phoenix tournament, Miyazato, playing in a women's event taking place at the same time, drew a higher television audience.

When she goes out these days she wears a disguise to prevent her from being mobbed. Given the mythical status this fabled old place holds in golf-obsessed Japan, heaven only knows what would happen if she became the first woman to win a pro event here.

After all her recent travails, it was good to see a semblance of the real Michelle Wie, as she played the first 10 holes in three under par.

Three three-putts over the last eight holes largely accounted for three bogeys and a level par 73 final score.

A disappointing finish, certainly. But after three majors so far this year in which she missed one through injury, finished dead last in the second and withdrew during the course of the third, it represented an encouraging start.