Phenom Lottie Woad wins on the LPGA in pro debut at Scottish Open
KPMG Performance Insights gave Woad a 40 percent chance of winning heading into the final round of the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open. Heady stuff for a 21-year-old making her professional debut.
Woad's magical July run continued at Dundonald Links, where the newly-minted pro became only the fourth player in LPGA history to win in her first start as an LPGA member, joining former world No. 1 Jin Young Ko (2018) and Beverly Hanson (1951).
A Sunday 4-under 68 put Woad at 21 under for the tournament, capping off a maiden LPGA victory in her native U.K., with a three-stroke win over Hyo Joo Kim. Woad becomes the 20th different LPGA winner in a season in which no player has won twice. She heads next to the AIG Women's British Open in Wales, where she finished tied for 10th last year at St. Andrews.
Woad began the final round of the Scottish with a two-shot lead in Ayrshire and, midway through, found herself knotted with major champion Hyo Joo Kim at 19 under. World No. 1 Nelly Korda, still looking for her first win of the season, made an early run with four birdies in the first six holes. A string of short misses, however, stalled the American and dropped her out of the mix.
Known for her elite wedge play, Woad knocked one close on the 13th to make birdie and regain the solo lead. Another birdie on the 14th as Kim dropped a shot on the 15th stretched the steady Englishwoman's lead back to two with four to play.
Woad becomes the first player since Rose Zhang to win on the LPGA in her first start as a pro. Zhang held a two-shot lead going into the final round of the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open and won in a playoff against Jennifer Kupcho to earn her LPGA card.
Woad, of course, recently became the first player to graduate from the tour's new LEAP program, earning her card for the rest of 2025 and 2026. Immediately after winning the Irish Open on the LET, she missed out on a playoff at the Amundi Evian Championship by one shot. Woad turned pro last week, forgoing her final season at Florida State. She also accepted membership on the LET, which makes her eligible for the 2026 Solheim Cup.
In her last three professional starts, Woad is 55 under par with a 67.4 scoring average. She notched only three bogeys for the week in Scotland.
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