For golf fans that haven’t watched the British Open in the past (men’s or women’s), you’ll probably immediately notice the scoring. 4-under par is actually pretty low for a round at the British Open, since the weather usually plays a large factor in keeping scores high for most of the tournament.

Luckily for the ladies today though, the weather wasn’t much of an issue, as we didn’t really see constant high winds or anything like that which would have made it tough to see a lot of under par scores. Instead, we saw 15 players shoot under par in the first round, which will certainly make things a lot more interesting for those who had to settle for over par scores. It sounds like the weather could be tricky for the rest of the tournament, with rain in the forecast for the area the next few days.

Tseng and Hull took advantage of this early weather surprise, and both played very well down the stretch. Tseng birdied 17 and then made an eagle on 18 to put her into the lead by herself for a while. Then Hull decided to have a little fun on final hole herself, as she also managed to pick up an eagle on the par 5, thus leaving these two at the top heading into the second round tomorrow.

Anne-Lise Caudal, Amy Yang, Brittany Lincicome, and Sun Young Yoo are the four that are one-shot behind after they all fired rounds of 69 for the day.

Michelle Wie is also in the mix after shooting 70 to sit at 2-under for the tournament, as she finished her day out like Tseng, with birdie on 17 and eagle on 18. It’s certainly good to see Wie in the mix early on, as I think this start will allow her to play with more confidence tomorrow, and if she can handle the conditions, she’ll likely be in contention heading into the weekend.

Jiyai Shin, who won at Evian last week, isn’t too far behind either, as she is 1-under through the first round. Hall-of-Famer Juli Inkster also shot a 71 on the day.

And as for where my pick for the week stands right now, well, Na Yeon Choi couldn’t really take advantage of the conditions and struggled to a 2-over 74 on the day. She just didn’t play well early and picked up four bogeys through the first six holes, and could never make up much ground after that. So that Sunday showdown that I predicted between her and Paula Creamer (also at +2) isn’t looking too good right now.

Those are just a few of the notables, but you can check out the full leaderboard over at LPGA.com to see all the scores for the first round of action.

What are your thoughts on the first round action at Royal Birkdale?

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Here’s my top five favorites heading into this event:

Jiyai Shin

You pretty much have to start with who is playing the best right now, and that’s the new number one in women’s golf. Shin picked up the thrilling victory at Evian last week with the clutch putt on 18 that gave her the one-stroke win over a charging trio of great players. She’s simply at the top of her game right now putting-wise, which will be very important this week. If the iron play can be somewhat solid in unpredictable weather, then she’s gonna be in contention all week long.

Paula Creamer

Creamer finished tied for 37th last week in France, but still seemed to be playing some pretty decent golf. She’s already won the Women’s U.S. Open this season, and would love nothing more than to add another major to her 2010 resume. She’s one of the more accurate drivers on tour, which will be important, especially if wind becomes a factor during this event. Oh, and she’s also finished in the Top 10 at this event three years straight, and is coming off of tie for third last year. As you can see, Creamer has a lot going in her favor heading into this tournament.

Ai Miyazato

The previous world’s number one will be looking to get back to her winning ways this week, and pick up her fifth win on tour this season. She was never really a factor last week (T19), which surprised me since she was the defending champion of the event. However, after losing the number one ranking to Shin, I would expect her to bounce back with a very good week at Royal Birkdale. She seems to always be in the mix at the Women’s British and that should be no different this year.

Na Yeon Choi

What I like the most about Choi’s game is her putting. And as we all know, putting is what wins you a major championship. She was probably a putt or two away from either winning or forcing a playoff last week, and seems to be a lock to be in contention this week. She got a win earlier this month, and will be looking to cap off the month with yet another win. After the type of finish she had at Evian, I think she’s put herself in great position to win here and pick up her first major championship.

Suzann Pettersen

Pettersen is coming off of a red hot final round at the Evian Masters, where she shot a 66 to finish in fifth place, so that should bode well for her confidence this week. And it doesn’t hurt that she’s finished in the Top 10 in eight of eleven starts this year on tour. She’s never really played great at this tournament, but with the kind of year that she’s had, I think her luck will change this time around, and she’ll be a serious contender heading into the weekend. After a lot of great opportunities so far in the 2010 season, she’s due to get a big win sooner rather than later.

And the winner is…..

I’m going with Choi. I’ve just got a gut feeling that she is going to win this week, and that it is going to come down to her and Creamer in a showdown on Sunday. Given Creamer’s past success in this event, it was hard not to pick her, but I just feel like Choi is going to bring her best and get the win.

Now it’s your turn! Who do you think wins this week at Royal Birkdale?

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