The 23-year-old says every week on the world's biggest stage has tested her in different ways, exposing both the highs and the lows that come with professional golf. That growing resilience was evident on Thursday as she opened her AIG Women's Open campaign with a composed one-under-par 70 at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

It leaves Porter firmly in the mix, but perhaps more importantly, it reinforced the progress she feels she has made during her first full season competing against the world's best.

"It's been quite the journey, actually," Porter told Golf Australia Magazine.

"I feel like I learn something new every day, but more just I think I just learn something new about myself every week, which is nice, and you can carry that on over.

"It just honestly just shows all your true colours out here. Shows obviously the highs and lows. It really tests you. It's fun, the challenge of that, too, and just finding a way to get through it. I think that's my biggest thing over the last year or so."

That mindset was evident from the opening tee. After enduring a difficult Women's Open debut 12 months ago, Porter arrived at Royal Lytham determined not to burden herself with expectations.

Freedom was the main focus.

"I had zero expectations at the start of the day, because last year's British was a bit of a tough one for me, especially," she admitted.

"Just went out and had fun. Just thought, you know, what's the worst that can happen.

"Yeah, ended up having a good day, which I'm stoked about."

Royal Lytham has already started to show its teeth on a warm and mostly still Lancashire day. It isn’t a layout where you can play your 18 holes without being asked a few difficult questions, and one of Porter's biggest examinations of the day came at the last.

After finding a bunker at the par-4 18th, a closing bogey would have taken some of the shine off an otherwise impressive opening round.

She made a sensational up-and-down, to stay in red numbers and keep her name on the first page of the leaderboard.

"On 18, I obviously hit it in the bunker and looked up, and if I made bogey, I wouldn't be on the leaderboard anymore, so I was like, okay, well, I have to, right.

"So, it was good. Nice to end the day on that note."

It was a fitting finish for a round built on patience, something Porter is quickly discovering is a prerequisite on the LPGA Tour. Every tournament presents a fresh examination, but every week also adds another layer to her development.

That education will continue on Friday.

For now, however, the Australians' immediate plans are considerably less demanding.

"I'm definitely going home for a nap," she laughed.

"It was an early one this morning."

Before that, though, there is one area of her game receiving some extra attention.

Royal Lytham's notorious bunkers left their mark.

"Hopefully less bunkers," Porter said of her plans for the second round.

"I'm going to go practise bunkers just in case."

After navigating Thursday's examination in encouraging fashion, Porter has earned herself another opportunity to keep learning on one of golf's biggest stages.