Two weeks ago, Lottie Woad was the world’s No. 1 amateur. On Sunday, the 21-year-old Englishwoman became an LPGA Tour champion in her professional debut.
Woad won the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three strokes, matching her age at 21-under par after closing with a 4-under 68 at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, Scotland.
“It’s a pretty good outcome, I guess,” Woad said. “Definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event, but I knew I was playing well.”
Woad capped a remarkable month with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th hole. She won the Women’s Irish Open on the Ladies European Tour as an amateur three weeks ago and missed a playoff by one shot the next week at the Evian Championship major before deciding to skip her senior season at Florida State and turn pro.
Woad, who held the lead after the second and third rounds, started strong Sunday with birdies at Nos. 2 and 3. After nine consecutive pars, she birdied Nos. 13 and 14 before a lone bogey at the par-4 16th.
“There aren’t that many scoreboards out, there to be honest,” Woad said. “… I knew it was probably quite tight because I was only a couple under at the turn, but then when I had the two birdies early on the back nine, I’d knew I’d gotten a bit of a lead by then.”
Woad matched the rare accomplishment by Rose Zhang, who in June 2023 became the first player in 72 years to win in her LPGA Tour debut at the Mizuho Americas Open. Beverly Hanson won the Eastern Open in her debut in 1951.
Woad collected $300,000 in her first pro payday and will carry a mountain of momentum into next week’s fifth and final major, the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales.
“Trying to just be up there really,” Woad said of her expectations next week after tying for 10th place last year at St. Andrews. “That’s all you can ask for.”
South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim matched Woad’s 68 on Sunday to finish in solo second place at 18-under. She reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th but fell back with consecutive bogeys at Nos. 15 and 16.
Spain’s Julia Lopez Ramirez shot the round of the day with a 7-under 65 to finish in a tie for third at 14-under with South Korea’s Sei Young Kim (73), who closed with a costly double bogey at the 18th.
“My game was in a very good place, very consistent,” Lopez Ramirez said. “I played under par every day. I think honestly that’s a success and growing my game, and I’m excited for having the opportunity to play next week and to show up again.”
World No. 1 Nelly Korda (71) claimed fifth place at 13-under. Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen (76) began the day tied for second but slipped to sixth at 11-under after a triple-bogey at No. 18.
–Field Level Media
