Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew rolled back the years to tame a windswept Royal Troon and raise hopes of a second victory in the AIG Women’s Open.

Eleven years after winning her sole major title at Royal Lytham, Matthew carded a superb level-par 71 in winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour to lie a shot off the clubhouse lead held by Germany’s Sophia Popov.

By late afternoon Popov was the only player to have posted a sub-par score and former champion Georgia Hall was happy to have finished on two over after a hard-fought 73.

“Some holes I could barely stand up, it was so windy all the way round but especially at the start,” Hall, who won at Lytham in 2018, told Sky Sports.

Canada’s Alena Sharp was in the first group out at 6.30am and hit her opening tee shot out of bounds on her way to a dispiriting double bogey, but played the remaining 17 holes in two under to finish level par.

Dame Laura Davies, who hit the opening tee shot to mark her 40th appearance in the event, birdied three of the last six holes but the 56-year-old could still only return a nine-over-par 80.