Latest news with #WomenScottishOpen
ABC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- ABC News
English golfer Lottie Woad wins Women's Scottish Open after turning pro at 21
Lottie Woad has started her professional golfing career in spectacular fashion, with a three-stroke victory at the Women's Scottish Open. The English star made her professional debut this week after securing her LPGA Tour card following a T3 finish at the Evian Championship, which was won by Australian Grace Kim. Woad also won the 2025 Women's Irish Open, but her amateur status meant she could not claim the prize money for either event, which adds up to $US603,100 ($917,714). The Women's Scottish Open win means she starts her pro career with a cheque for more than $450,000, and will ensure she is in the media spotlight at the year's final major title, the Women's Open at Royal Porthcawl, this week. She went into the final day at Dundonald Links with a two-shot lead, having been at the top of the leaderboard at the 36-hole and 54-hole marks. The 21-year-old started strong, with back-to-back birdies on the second and third holes, before nine pars on the trot, but Woad then rolled in birdies on 13 and 14. A third bogey of the week happened on 16 for the former world-number-one amateur, but she finished in style with a birdie on 18 to win with a score of 21 under par. Woad became the first player to win on their professional debut on the Ladies European Tour (LET) since Singapore's Shannon Tan at the 2024 Magical Kenya Ladies Open and the first on the LPGA Tour since Rose Zhang at the 2023 Americas Open. She also became the first English winner of the Women's Scottish Open since Trish Johnson back in 2014. The two-time LET winner continued: "It's great to win here. Links golf is really fun, I don't get to play it too often. It's my first time since the Women's Open last year, so I wasn't sure how it would go. Korea's Hyo Joo Kim finished in outright second place on 18 under par after a final round of 68 (4 under) at Dundonald Links. The 2025 Korea Championship winner began the day with a birdie on the first before rolling in three birdies in a row on the fifth, sixth, and seventh, and she dropped a shot on the eighth. However, back-to-back birdies on 10 and 11 put her level with England's Woad on 19 under par, and another birdie on 14 drew her level with the Englishwoman once again, but bogeys on 15 and 16 put an end to her title challenge. Spain's Julia Lopez Ramirez equalled the round of the week with a 65 (7 under) on the final day to finish in a tie for third place alongside Korea's Sei Young Kim on 14 under par. Lopez Ramirez had eight birdies and one bogey on her scorecard to secure one of the three spots for next week's Women's Open. World number one Nelly Korda finished in solo fifth place on 13 under, with Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen in sixth on 11 under. South Africa's Paula Reto clinched the second Women's Open spot with her seventh-place finish after a final round of 71 (2 under) in Scotland. Australians Cassie Porter, Minjee Lee and Karis Davidson all finished with a four-round total of 5 under 283, to tie for 21st place. China's Mary Liu secured the third spot in the final major tournament of the year after rounds of 76-67-68-70 to finish in outright 15th place. Solheim Cup winner Gemma Dryburgh finished as leading Scot and was presented with the Jock MacVicar trophy at Dundonald Links. Next up for the LET is the Women's Open which will take place at Royal Porthcawl between July 31 and August 3. EBU/ABC
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
England's Lottie Woad taking golf by storm after winning first professional start
In another life, Lottie Woad may very well have been turning out for the Lionesses in their Euro 2025 final on Sunday night. Instead, this remarkable young Englishwoman was making history of her own by winning on her first professional start at the Women's Scottish Open. It is fair to say that Woad made the correct choice as a highly-rated 12-year-old in the Southampton Academy. This huge Leeds United fan opted for the smaller ball and vowed to achieve huge things. And despite being in the baby steps of her career it is already a case of mission accomplished. This was no middling event in which she broke her maiden tag at her first attempt (although she was already a winner of a professional tournament). Sanctioned by the LPGA Tour, the tournament at Dundonald featured four of the world's top 10, including No 1 Nelly Korda. Ostensibly it is used as a links tune-up week for the Women's Open, the season's final major which begins at Royal Porthcawl. But it takes some winning, as it should with a $300,000 (£223,000) winning cheque. And the fact that Woad looked utterly nerveless in compiling a 21-under total to beat major winner Kim Hyo-joo by three shots, with Korda a further five strokes behind in fifth makes her success that much more fantastical. However, this was no fluke and definitely would not be classed as such. Three Sundays before she won the Irish Women's Open and the Ladies European Tour as an amateur – defeating English No 1 Charley Hull in the process – and the Sunday after came within a stroke of making the play-off at the Evian Championship and having the chance of becoming the first amateur in 58 years to win a major. Everything on Woad's CV pointed to her being an overnight success in the paid ranks, not least that she did not rush to join the superstars, first going through the age groups with England Golf and then not breaking this link or leaving her long-time coach, Luke Done, when inevitably crossing the channel to enrol in US college. Woad, who has only recently finished up at Florida State University, was the world No 1 amateur for more than a year, a period of dominance during which she won the Augusta National Women's Amateur on the hallowed Masters layout in 2024. It has been clear for a long time that the 21-year-old from Farnham, Surrey could be something special. In April, Karen Stupples, the 2004 Women's Open champion, told Telegraph Sport that ' Lottie is the best golf prospect the UK has produced since Rory McIlroy ' and explained what makes her stand apart. 'Clutch putting is an intangible that separates the great from the good – and she has it,' Stupples said. 'With her temperament and nerve, she'll be very suited to the professional game.' This was evident at the Ayrshire links where Woad grabbed the lead in the second round courtesy of a 65 and never looked back. Saying that, she was caught by Kim after 12 holes and the atmosphere intensified. No matter, Woad simply birdied the next two holes this time she was not about to squander the advantage. As accomplished as her putting happens to be, there is no doubt that her approach play is world class and on the 18th she spun in a wedge to a few feet. There was no wild celebration with caddie Dermot Byrne – formerly Shane Lowry's bagman – which was just added evidence that this is where she expects to be. 'I didn't know she'd got back to level and knew it would be quite tight, as I was only a couple under at the turn,' Woad said, following her 68. 'When I had the two birdies early on the back nine I knew I probably had a bit of a lead by then. 'I was just hoping to contend and played really solid today. It was pretty nice in the end, being able to lay up on the par five.I definitely wasn't expecting to win my first event, but knew I was playing well. It [winning] is a pretty good outcome, I guess.' If Woad was any more laid back she genuinely would have her own reading on the Stimpmeter. She is adamant that it did not bother her that had she been a pro she would have collected almost £400,000 for her heroics at the Irish and Evians. 'I knew that going into those events, so I didn't think about it, no,' she said. 'And honestly, I don't even know how much I've won today. I just know that if I play well then all that will take care of itself.' And what about Porthcawl where she will now command the spotlight after becoming the first Briton to win on her first start as a pro on the US circuit? 'I'm excited as I don't get to play links too often – this is my first time playing links golf since the AIG Women's Open last year [at St Andrews where she finished tied for 10th],' Woad, who is already in the world's top 30 said. 'I wasn't exactly sure how it would go. But it went fine.'
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Lottie Woad, a former Florida State star, wins the Women's Scottish Open in her pro debut
IRVINE, Scotland — Lottie Woad tapped in one final birdie , plucked the ball out of the cup and gave a simple wave to the crowd as if she had done this before. The English star made it look easy Sunday when she won the Women's Scottish Open in her professional debut .
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Lottie Woad, a former Florida State star, wins the women's Scottish Open in her pro debut
Lottie Woad tapped in one final birdie, plucked the ball out of the cup, and gave a simple wave to the crowd as if she had done this before. The English star made it look easy Sunday when she won the Women's Scottish Open in her professional debut. Woad never flinched when Hyo Joo Kim made a charge on a windy day at Dundonald Links, closing with a 4-under 68 for a three-shot victory. Woad is the second player in three years to win on the LPGA Tour in her pro debut, following Rose Zhang in the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National in 2023. Woad finished at 21-under 267 and earned $300,000. 'I think it's quite hard to do that but very special to win in my first event,' Woad said. 'Everyone was chasing me today and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots.' For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Kim had opened with four birdies in seven holes, and when the South Korean added birdies on the 11th and 12th, she shared the lead with Woad. Woad was unflappable, making birdie on the 13th and 14th holes to regain control and dropping only one shot late in her round. She finished with a three-quarter wedge over a winding burn to 2 feet for birdie and a reserved celebration. Her victory is certain to get everyone's attention in women's golf. Woad was the No. 1 amateur in the women's ranking when she won the Women's Irish Open on the Ladies European Tour three weeks ago. Then she finished one shot out of a playoff in the Evian Championship in France, an LPGA major. That gave her enough points for an LPGA card, so the 21-year-old decided to forgo her final year at Florida State and turn pro. Now she has an LPGA title – the Women's Scottish Open is co-sanctioned with the LET – as she heads south for Royal Porthcawl in Wales for the final major of the year in the Women's British Open. Nelly Korda, who played the opening three rounds with Woad, ran off four straight birdies on the front nine until missing some putts that stalled her momentum. She shot 71 and finished eight shots behind, leaving the American winless this year after a seven-win season in 2024. Julia Lopez Ramirez closed with a 65 and tied for third with Sei Young Kim (73), earning the Spaniard one of three spots available in the Women's British Open next week. The other spots went to Paula Reto of South Africa and Mary Liu of China. Woad first made a name for herself when she won the Augusta National Women's Amateur last year with birdies on three of the last four holes. She said that was more pressure than she felt in her pro debut. 'I think Augusta, that was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win,' Woad said. 'So definitely felt the pressure of it more there and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this. The only difference this week was getting paid for it.' Along with winning the Women's Irish Open, Woad tied for 31st in the US Women's Open this year and tied for 10th in the Women's British Open at St. Andrews last summer. She heads to Wales hopeful of keeping the momentum. 'It's been pretty good, yeah. I don't really know how to describe it,' Woad said. 'Just been shooting low scores, which is always nice.' The LPGA Tour now has had a different winner in all 19 tournaments this year, the longest stretch of no multiple winners in its 75-year history.
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Lottie Woad keeps 2-shot lead in scotland and closes in on victory in pro debut on lpga tour
Lottie Woad had four birdies in a six-hole stretch around the turn and posted a 5-under 67 on Saturday to maintain her two-shot lead in the Women's Scottish Open as she closes in on victory in her professional debut. Woad has such control of her game at Dundonald Links that she went 33 consecutive holes without a bogey until dropping a shot on the 15th. Her lead was down to one shot, but the 21-year-old from England responded with a short wedge she played perfectly on the 17th, leaving her an 8-foot birdie putt she converted. A closing par put her at 17-under 199. Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark, who caught Woad early with an eagle on the par-5 third hole, fell behind after Woad's birdie streak. But the Dane rallied with three straight birdies and a couple of par saves for a 67. She was two shots behind, along with Sei Young Kim (66), who made a long eagle putt on the 14th and got up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 closing hole to get within two shots. Nelly Korda played bogey-free, but the American managed only two birdies on another relatively calm day by Scottish standards. Her 70 left her five shots behind Woad, who already has had a golden summer in Europe. Woad, who won the Augusta National Women's Amateur in 2024 and rose to No. 1 in the women's amateur ranking that year, won the Irish Women's Open three weeks ago on the Ladies European Tour. Then she missed the playoff by one shot in the Evian Championship. But her tie for third in the LPGA major earned her a tour card, and she decided to skip her senior year at Florida State and turn pro. And now she has a chance to win in her debut. 'That's the aim, to shoot as low as possible and keep giving myself chances,' Woad said. 'If someone shoots lights out, fair enough. I'm excited for the opportunity. I've got the experience, and I'll try to use that.' Kim has 12 titles on the LPGA, including the Women's PGA Championship in 2020 at Aronimink, though she is coming up on five years since her last win. She will be in final group Sunday with Woad and Madsen. Korda, meanwhile, has a lot of ground to make up if she wants to end her surprising drought. She won seven times last season on the LPGA and still has yet to win this year. 'Wasn't hitting it probably as good as I was the first two days,' Korda said. 'I made some really good par saves and just didn't really capitalize on some of my good shots. But that's golf. That's OK. I still have tomorrow.' Woad will try to match Rose Zhang by winning on the LPGA in her pro debut. Zhang did that at Liberty National two years ago in the Mizuho Americas Open. The Women's Scottish Open is co-sanctioned by the LPGA and the LET.
