British golf sensation loses out on £58k worth of prize money due to little-known rule despite winning the Irish Open by six shots
The 21-year-old claimed a six-shot victory at the Women´s Irish Open after finishing 21-under par for the tournament.
Lottie Woad, the world No 1 amateur, had entered the final round with a seven-stroke lead and shot a four under 69 to claim the trophy.
However, she has been denied the £58,000 prize money on offer due to her amateur status.
Woad finished six strokes ahead of second-placed Madelene Sagstrom of Sweden with New Zealander Amelia Garvey was third.
And runner-up Sagstrom is the beneficiary of the situation with the money going to her instead.
The previous time an amateur won a Ladies European Tour event was in 2022, when Jana Melichova secured victory at the Czech Ladies Open.
Players must hold a tour card in order to pocket winnings and Woad's lack of one has cost her a significant sum.
Woad has made plenty of headlines as an amateur, having won the 2022 Girls Amateur Championship and the Augusta National Women's Amateur last year.
However, she insists she is not considering turning professional just yet.
'No, I'm not tempted to turn pro yet,' she said. 'I'm still trying to get my final two points for the LPGA. I'm trying to get those and then we will see what happens after that. It means a lot to get the win.
'Obviously, I had a big lead coming into today, but I still had to really focus as I was being chased by some really good players. I'm happy to get it done. It's perfect. I feel like I'm playing well, and I hope to continue that into [the] Evian [Championship] next week.
'It felt pretty comfortable overall. There were a few moments at the start of the back nine that could've gone wrong but I hung in there and finished with some nice birdies.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Diogo Jota's legacy to his family: The amount set to be inherited by tragic Liverpool star's wife and their three small children after his car crash death
Tragic footballer Diogo Jota 's widow could stand to inherit up to £35million from his estate for the financial security of her and their three children, MailOnline can reveal. The Liverpool star, 28, who died alongside his brother Andre, 25, in a crash last week in Spain, has been signed with Premier League clubs since 2018 - and amassed a fortune in that time. Jota first signed a contract with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018 which saw him earn £38,000 a week. Two years of these wages saw him earn £3,952,000 before he hit the big time with a move to Anfield, where the first two years of his four year contract at £83,000 per week saw him pocket another £8,632,000. As a result of his phenomenal talent, Liverpool then extended the deal for five years in 2022 and upped his wages to £140,000 in a contract that saw him earn £21,840,000 before his tragic death. Built into this was performance bonuses, and his 65 goals in 182 games contributed to his wealth. However, he was also an Esports entrepreneur and global brand ambassador. Jota was due to receive another £14.5million for the remaining two years of his contract, which despite reports in Portuguese media suggesting Liverpool will honour, has not yet been confirmed. It means Jota's total earnings of around £34.4million since arriving in the Premier League could be inherited by Rute and their two sons Dinis, four, Duarte, two, and their eight-month-old baby daughter Mafalda. It is not known how much of this money he had spent, but a chunk of it had been invested in a five-bedroom, four-bathroom house in the upmarket north Liverpool suburb of Blundellsands. According to publicly available land registry documents, Jota and his wife bought the house in May 2022 for £2,125,000, where they rubbed shoulders with other players. The house had been listed for three years before selling and had been previously rented out. A brochure of the house available online shows an ornately tiled marble entrance hall leading to a reception area with a brass and wrought iron staircase. The ground floor living area has Georgian style double doors, underfloor heating and a Bose sound system. In the kitchen there are two sink units and a five hob Gaggenau cooker, wine chiller and fitted walnut units with granite work surfaces. The indoor pool is 39ft long and there is also a jacuzzi and steam room, while the games room has a snooker table and a pool table. Also on the ground floor is an eight-seat home cinema room with a surround sound system. Companies House records in the UK also show that Jota set up an image rights company called Minute J Ltd in February 2023 to channel some of his football earnings and his father Joaquim was also associated with it. The first set of accounts filed in December 2024 cover the period the initial first 12 months of the company and show it made £186,754 but owed creditors £49,786, with the bulk of £44,825 to HMRC for Corporation Tax. Football players often set up image rights companies as a way to control earnings from things like name, nickname, squad number which might be used in sponsorship, merchandising and endorsements. Besides his earnings from football Jota also had lucrative deals with Nike and EA Sports bringing in an estimated £3.3million a year and he set up his own Esports team called Luna Galaxy. According to Portuguese media, Jota also had a collection of luxury cars worth more than £1million including a Range Rover Sport, Porsche 911 Turbo S, a Ferrari 488, an Audi Q7 and a Mercedes-Benz G63AMG. Website, The Richest, in a detailed profile of Jota's financial worth, said: 'He left behind a financial legacy few soccer players achieve so young. 'His business smart matched his on-field vision, he left behind a blueprint for how athletes can build wealthy and legacy beyond the pitch.' Jota's tragic death came just 13 days after he wedded Rute, his teenage sweetheart. At the ceremony he declared himself as the luckiest man in the world to be her husband and a series of emotional images and videos were posted to social media of their special day. Many who were there on what Rute described as that 'dream come true' wedding day then had to devastatingly fly in for Jota and his brother's funeral just over two weeks later. Family and friends, including footballers, came from all corners of the globe to the 17th-century Igreja Matriz church. It was there that they heard the Bishop of Porto, D. Manuel Linda, send a message to the couple's three children. The bishop said: 'At this moment you are suffering immensely or perhaps not because you do not realise it. The ones who suffer a lot are your mother and your grandparents. 'Seeing the mortal remains of a child must be a greater torment, but when there are two urns there are no words... 'If it is difficult to see an adult cry, it is even more difficult to see a child cry. I send you a special greeting for your mother and grandparents.' Both coffins were carried through the front doors of the church to the sound of violins and applause in a procession led by two priests at 10am. Jota's Liverpool team-mates flew in overnight. They included Virgil van Dijk, the club's captain, and Andrew Robertson, who carried red wreaths in the shape of football shirts emblazoned with Jota's number 20 and his brother's number 30. Former Liverpool players, including Jordan Henderson and James Milner, were also present. Jota and his brother were 190 miles into a trip from Porto to Santander, where he planned to take a ferry to England, when they crashed in the Spanish province of Zamora. Their bodies were buried, not cremated, in a graveyard screened by olive trees. Jota's team-mates from his former club Wolves, including Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio, joined club officials to pay their respects. They were spotted escorting a Wolves-themed wreath which read: 'Diogo your desire to fight and win lit up Molineux.' Speaking after the service, Roberto Martinez, the Portugal manager, was emotional as he told of his sadness over the tragedy. He said: 'I can only say that these are very, very sad days. Today was a demonstration for Diogo and Andre that we are all together and that we are Portugal. 'Now, I would like to thank everyone for their presence, for all the messages from all over the world. We are with Andre Silva and Diogo Jota. Always, always with us.'
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Horse racing tips: ‘He looks sure to score at his beloved track' – Templegate's NAP unstoppable on Tuesday
TEMPLEGATE tackles Tuesday's action confident of building the bank for the Newmarket July Festival. Back a horse by clicking their odds below. TIME PATROL (7.12 Brighton, nap) He can notch up yet another win at his beloved Brighton. Tony Carroll's five-year-old has landed three victories from four visits to the seaside and came home quickly when just denied here last time. The handicapper has left his mark alone and he takes a drop in class which can get him back to winning ways. He gets on well with today's rider Jack Doughty and decent ground is ideal. CRYSTAL MER (8.30 Uttoxeter, nb) He looked a cut above when bolting up over course and distance last month and can strike again under champion jockey Sean Bowen. The six-year-old powered clear with loads in hand that day and still looks well treated for Hughie Morrison who rarely misses when targeting these races. That was his debut for the yard and there's a lot more to come. SHADY BAY (7.42 Brighton, treble) She caught the eye with a five-length win at Nottingham last time out. She showed a blistering turn of pace there and clearly enjoyed dropping to this distance. She is back out quickly under a 5lb penalty and has a big chance of following up under Hollie Doyle. COMMAND THE STARS (4.25 Lingfield, Lucky 15) He showed bundles of promise on debut and then absolutely bolted up at Beverley, pulling four lengths clear despite still running green. That performance marked him out as well above average and this step up to 7f is sure to suit given his stout Sea The Stars pedigree. Templegate's tips Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
‘Style and class is lacking' – ‘Sexy' football TV presenter slammed by female colleague over ‘vulgar' outfits
A "SEXY" football TV presenter has been called out by a female colleague over her "vulgar" outfits. Valentina Maceri, who presents Champions League coverage on Swiss broadcaster Blue, was critical of DAZN Italy presenters. 10 10 10 A group of broadcasters have attracted attention in recent weeks at the Club World Cup. They include Loris Karius ' wife Dilette Leotta, Giusy Meloni, Marialuisa Jacobelli, and Eleonora Incardoni, whom Maceri named specifically. The criticism comes after Maceri published her new book - "F*** Female Empowerment: The Great Mistake of Modern Feminism". In the book she writes: "Personally, I would say that the way female reporters present themselves on the sidelines in Italy is sometimes borderline. "I think women should be sexy, but always with style and class. That's sometimes lacking in Italy. Here, the principle that sex sells applies strongly." Maceri, 31, then doubled down in an interview with Bild, slamming Incardoni for "vulgarity". She told the German outlet: "If you want to speak on an equal level with players and officials, it's not conducive. "Incardona mainly deals with DAZN BET – meaning she presents the betting odds. And she does it very sexy. Sometimes vulgarly." Incardoni has stunned in America with her outfit choices. The 34-year-old wore a bra and three-piece suit for one match, and wowed over the weekend in a one-strap brown dress. DAZN host Diletta Leotta puts on a leggy display in bold Club World Cup outfit 10
