A week after escaping from a fire, Scotland’s Catriona Matthew holed-in-one to give herself another chance to win her first major title. The 39-year-old, who gave birth to her second child in May and did not return to action until last week, had two eagles and four birdies in the last eight holes to burst to three under par halfway through the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham.

Joint clubhouse leader with Italian Giulia Sergas, who herself had five birdies in six holes for a matching 67, Matthew recalled the dramatic events she encountered in a French apartment block nine nights ago.

“It was about 10.30. I was in bed, and my husband was on the balcony. I thought it was rain, but he came in and said ‘What are you talking about?’

“It just got louder and louder, and eventually we went and opened the door and it was just flames and smoke outside the door.

“We ran out. He forgot to put his shoes on and got his foot burnt. It was very scary, and we kind of panicked.”

The couple were on the first floor and ran out of the building. But another player, Korean Amy Yang, and her father threw a mattress out of their room above them and jumped on to it.

“We were just kind of thankful we were on our own [without their children],” added Matthew. “If we had all been there we would have been just exhausted and asleep.”

Husband Graeme was unable to caddie for her in the Evian Masters because of his burns, but is back on the bag this week - and set for an exciting closing 36 holes.

That did not look likely when she stood four over after 10 holes, but a rescue club to six feet at the long 11th was followed by an eight-iron into the hole on the next and then by birdies on three of the following four greens.

Even after she was bunkered on the 17th and bogeyed, she came back with a closing 10-footer for an inward 30 - at seven under both a championship and club record.

Matthew won the British women’s amateur title on the course in 1993, but missed the cut on its two previous stagings of the Open.

Two years ago at St Andrews, however, she was only one behind world number one Lorena Ochoa at halfway — and then shot 80.

“The wind kind of blew me off course a little bit. I think you do learn from those things - learn to probably hang in there a bit better and stay more patient.”

Sergas, a 29-year-old eligible only for a wild card when the Solheim Cup teams are named on Sunday night, was asked why she bases herself in California rather than the closer-to-home Florida.

“It’s ugly - no, I shouldn’t say that because I have never lived there,” she replied. “I love California because it reminds me of Italy more - mountains, big ocean, nice cities.”

She birdied the 487-yard 11th and then had four in a row from the 13th.

Star attraction Michelle Wie was still very much in contention until she took two in a fairway bunker on the 18th and double-bogeyed for a 76 and five-over aggregate.

She and German Sandra Gal - who after leading with a 69, collapsed to an 80 to be on the same mark - still made the cut comfortably.

France’s Gwladys Nocera, last year’s European Tour number one, made a 17-stroke improvement on her opening round but still crashed out. It was a 91, after all.