After a relatively still Thursday morning at the Ford Women’s NSW Open, many believed the early clubhouse lead of Nuria Iturrioz at 6-under would hold up. An estimation that looked to be holding true until Kirsten Rudgeley charged late to tie the Spaniard at the top.

As the morning wave concluded and the wind strengthened at Wollongong Golf Club, and with Iturrioz’s mark to chase, some might have felt slightly disheartened, but not West Australian Rudgeley who thrives in the wind and even enjoys it.

Out in one of the marquee groups of the Ladies European Tour (LET) and WPGA Tour of Australasia co-sanctioned event alongside LET Order of Merit leader Cara Gainer, Rudgeley showed her intentions early with a birdie at the par-5 first.

Two more came at the fourth and fifth before the second year LET player dropped her only shot of the day at the par-4 sixth.

“I enjoyed the day really. The group I had were good fun and it felt like I handled myself pretty good with the wind. Putted nicely today, which is good to see,” Rudgeley said after signing for her 65.

“I do like a bit of wind golf. I mean not a lot of people do, but I don't know, it makes the golf a bit more creative I guess.”

Rudgeley added one more birdie to close out her front nine in 3-under 31, before adding three more on the back nine to draw level with Iturrioz. The pair one in front of Sweden’s Anna Magnusson who made eight birdies against three bogeys in her Thursday round of 5-under 66.

A group of seven is another shot further back on 4-under, including India’s Diksha Dagar who also managed eight birdies on the day after starting her day with a bogey on the ninth, and 22-year LET veteran Ursula Wikstrom who made her 350th Tour start earlier this year.

Having missed the cut last week in Coffs Harbour and with the cancelation of the Australian WPGA Championship, Iturrioz would have been forgiven for questioning her decision to return to Australia for the first time since the COVID pandemic before Thursday’s 65.

However, day one reinforced to the Spaniard why she made the trip and her belief in a strong off-season as the 29-year-old chases a fifth LET title.

“I did a great off-season. I'm working on mentality and I think sometimes it is your course, sometimes it's your week,” Iturrioz said when asked what had changed since Coffs Harbour.

“I was in peace out there. I love the course. I got lucky because front nine was without wind and then it started to blow, but I got the good score back nine.”

Renowned as one of hardest workers and practisers on Tour, Iturrioz and Rudgeley make for quite an opposite pair at the top of the leaderboard.

The Australian’s response to her plans between signing for a 65 and her Friday morning tee time against Iturrioz’s practice and gym time showcasing the stark difference in approaches that produced matching scores.

“Same as usual. Go to bed, freeze out there, hit a few balls and we'll see what happens. Simple as that,” Rudgeley said.

A slightly sheepish admission that she doesn’t “do too much practise anyway” when at home belying the competitiveness of Rudgeley, who is chasing a first win on the LET in her second season as she continues to improve at adapting to new courses and conditions each week travelling the globe.

“You’ve got to adapt really quickly. Different grasses, different greens, different bunkers, sands. But that's just something I've learned going along,” she said.

Sharing 11th in an eight-strong group on 3-under, Malaysia’s Ashley Lau and Kiwi Hanee Song are the next best of the WPGA Tour of Australasia contingent ahead of Friday’s second round with more wind and rain forecast to hit Wollongong and its beachside golf course.

The final two rounds of the Ford Women’s NSW Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.

The Ford Women's NSW Open is proudly supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.