Florida State's two top-ranked players are the favorites heading into Augusta National

USA Today

31-03-2025

Florida State's two top-ranked players are the favorites heading into Augusta National
Florida State coach Amy Bond found a brand new Titleist ProV1 buried in the second fairway of Seminole Legacy Golf Club during the final round of the recent Florida State Match Up. She handed it to junior Lottie Woad on the third tee and asked her to sign it.
'For what?' Woad asked.
Bond figured a kid would show up later in the day to watch, and it would be fun to get a ball signed by the No. 1 amateur in the world. On the fourth hole, Bond gave the ball away to a young girl, and on No. 5, that same little girl went over to Woad to say thanks and ask for a photo.
Woad, of course, couldn't resist.
Bond finds herself in a unique and enviable position this season. She has not one, but two No. 1 players on her team to prepare for the next level. Woad, the 2024 Augusta National Women's Amateur champion, tops the World Amateur Golf Ranking while her teammate, Mirabel Ting, is the nation's top collegiate golfer.
'It's not very often that World No. 1 has been playing No. 2, you know,' said Bond.
Ting's record-breaking 10-stroke victory at the Florida State Match Up marks her fifth title in six stroke-play starts this season. She's a whopping 52 under par in that stretch. Woad, meanwhile, hasn't finished outside the top 3 in a college event in more than a year.
When it comes to favorites for the sixth edition of the Augusta National Women's Amateur April 2-5, it's hard to look past the Seminoles' remarkable 1-2 punch. The tournament begins at Champions Retreat on Wednesday, and six of the top seven from last year are in the field. A cut will be made after two rounds, and every contestant will have the chance to play Augusta National Golf Club on Friday in a practice round before Saturday's conclusion.
Woad's dramatic victory at Augusta National last spring included birdies on three of the last four holes, joining Arnold Palmer (1960), Mark O'Meara (1998) and Art Wall Jr. (1959) as champions at Augusta National Golf Club who birdied their final two holes to win by one shot.
The victory propelled the reserved Englishwoman into her first LPGA appearance at the Chevron Championship, where she finished in the top 25. She'd go on to finish runner-up at the NCAA Championship and 10th at the AIG Women's British Open at St. Andrews – which included a hole-out for eagle on the iconic 18th. She also helped Great Britain and Ireland take back the Curtis Cup at historic Sunningdale Golf Club in England.
'Bucket-list stuff,' said Woad, who still hasn't taken the ANWA trophy out of the box for fear it might rust.
When Malaysia's Ting ran away with her latest victory in Tallahassee on March 23, Woad was alongside her teammates, showering Ting with water to celebrate. When Ting asks for a second set of eyes on the range or for tips out of the bunker, Woad happily obliges. During practice rounds, the pair sometimes need only one shot between them to save time, Ting said, because they hit it so similarly.
There's a deep respect between the two Seminoles, even down to the fact that they go about their business so differently.
'Lottie is a robot,' said Ting. 'She loves practicing. She can be out there 24 hours. I think I just work differently. … That is why coach never puts workouts as optional. If optional was there, I would never be at workouts. If it's an optional practice, I would not go.'
In fact, Ting said Bond called her a lazy bum last fall when she asked to miss out on some practice time. While she couldn't tell whether or not it was a joke, the comment left Ting triggered enough to get in gear. As a result, she spent more time on her weaknesses this semester, and it has paid off handsomely.
'She's putting out of this world,' said Bond of a player who was already a world-class ball-striker.
Over the Christmas holidays, Ting flew to Thailand to begin working with Kris Assawapimonporn, LPGA star Jeeno Thitikul's longtime instructor. The pair worked on everything from setup, to grip, to green reading.
There are times, Ting said, when she has spent two hours on the putting green trying to make 50 five-footers in a row with a gate drill. She recently stretched it to 100 must-makes in a row.
Ting began her college career in Augusta, Georgia, before transferring to Florida State. And even though Augusta National felt more familiar to her than most, the sight of so many fans gathered around the first tee during the final round last year sent her straight to the bathroom to cry.
This year, however, a more experienced Ting knows what to expect as she heads back with more confidence and exposure.
'It means a lot,' said Ting of ascending to the top of the collegiate rankings, 'but at the same time I'm not trying to put a lot of pressure on myself that I have to win every tournament just because I'm the No. 1 player.'
Besides, she's not the only No. 1.