Ah, the glitz and glamour of the tour. Then again? “We had a nightmare with the hire car,” gasped the Scottish amateur Hannah Darling of the rigmarole she had to endure en route to her debut appearance on the LPGA Tour in California this week.

“It was two hours of back and forward, they wouldn’t accept a UK driving license from me or my dad, then our cards got declined when there was no reason for the cards to be declined. So, we just got an Uber instead.”

Given the teeth-grinding guddle Darling was embroiled in, you’d think she was trying to hire out a 1955 Mercedes Benz Uhlenhaut Coupe, not a no-frills budget runaround.

She got there in the end, though, and Darling is now relishing the opportunity to pit her wits against some of the LPGA’s classic marques in the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship at Palos Verdes.

At just 20, Darling has already packed a fair amount into her tender years. Since being crowned the youngest winner of the Scottish Girls’ Championship as a 13-year-old, the Bonnyrigg golfer has lifted more shimmering pieces than the Yeoman of the Silver Pantry.

A couple of years ago, Darling made another mark in the history books when she became the first Scottish woman to play a competitive round at the storied home of the Masters in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship.

This week’s outing on the LPGA Tour, which was a reward for her sterling performance in a US collegiate event at the same venue earlier in the year, will be another milestone on Darling’s journey.

“The last few days have been a little bit overwhelming,” she said of this first taste of life at the top table. “I'm the new kid on the block so everyone is kind of looking at me like, ‘who are you?’.”

Darling, of course, has already made a name for herself in the amateur game. Her impressive feats on this side of the pond, which have led to two Curtis Cup appearances for GB&I, helped earn her a golf scholarship at the University of South Carolina.

For anybody uprooting and setting up camp in a new place far from home, the transition has not been easy, but Darling has found her feet and a maiden individual win on the super-competitive college circuit earlier this month was a significant breakthrough.

“If I'm honest, I would say it (her progress) has been a little slower than I thought it would be,” admitted Darling. “I’ve been at university two-and-a-bit years and just won my first college event. But when you move halfway across the world, there are a lot of things you have to figure out.

“I don't have my mum here looking after me anymore. That's a big adjustment in itself. But that first college win has given me a bit of a boost. I've always known my game is there, but it’s been a bit up-and-down. That’s how golf is, though. Every player will say that.”

Darling, who is 14th on the world amateur rankings, may not be a well-kent face among some of the LPGA Tour regulars but there’s one famous face who knows who the Scot is.

Rose Zhang was the world amateur No 1 before joining the paid ranks last year and becoming the first player since 1951 to win on her pro debut on the LPGA Tour. Zhang may be a full-time tour player, but she’s also still studying as a part-time student.

“I spoke to her on the range the other day and she has her final exams this week too, so I had a little bit of sympathy for her,” chuckled Darling of the exacting juggling act Zhang has to perform. “It’s so cool to see what she’s done. It’s pretty spectacular. She’s an amazing player and a great person to try to emulate.”

There may be a lot for Darling to take in on this whirlwind experience of the professional scene, but the Broomieknowe member is far from intimated by it all.

“The vision I had before I came here was that I was going to see all these incredible professionals,” she said of the esteemed company she is keeping.

“I walked past Nelly Korda (the world No 2) and thought, ‘oh my gosh, it’s Nelly Korda’. But I really feel like I fit in. I just need to believe in myself and enjoy it.”