Leona Maguire stays in touch as Lottie Woad sets the pace at the Women's Scottish Open
Maguire shot a 71 to add to her opening 67 at the Dundonald Links in a round where she bogeyed the first but subsequently picked up shots a nine and 10 to finish on six under. The Co Cavan competitor is currently in a share of eight spot.
Woad, who recently turned professional after finishing third in the Evian Championship and taking victory in the KMPG Irish Open, carded a 65 and is two shots clear of the field on 12 under. Starting on the 10th, the 21-year-old had seven birdies on her card.
Nelly Korda from the USA and Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen share second on 10 under after both signed for 66. Korea's Seu Young Kim is a shot further back in fourth.
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Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Woad golf's latest sensation but caution advisable
History suggests caution is advisable when assessing female golf phenoms. Michelle Wie won just a single major. Charley Hull has reached the age of 29 while scaling golfing heights, but it is fair to say wild excitement about her career when a teenage amateur has not been borne out by subsequent results. For a multitude of reasons, promise can outweigh reality. If it were at all her style – and it is not – Lottie Woad could claim to have already justified the hype. Winning last year's Augusta National Women's Amateur was a statement of intent. Recent weeks have been rocket fuelled for the 21-year-old; Woad won the Irish Open and challenged for the Evian Championship while still an amateur. One professional start, at the Scottish Open, saw Woad lift the trophy on Sunday. She is the name on everyone's lips as the Women's Open lands at the glorious links of Royal Porthcawl today. 'She's playing great golf,' said Lydia Ko, the defending champion, of Woad. 'I've seen her swing. My coach has sent me a video of her swing as well because there's aspects that I'm kind of going for that she has.' High praise. There was more, lots of it. 'I think what Lottie Woad has done is absolutely unbelievable,' said Hull. 'I played with her in the practice rounds in Ireland and in the first two rounds last week. At the minute I feel like she's playing with such confidence she can't miss a shot. I think it's great to see. She's a breath of fresh air for the game. I'm actually really proud of Lottie for what she's done. That's like goosebumps kind of stuff.' Hull's own buildup has been beset by illness and a back injury. 'I'm not hitting it the best, which is very frustrating because it's an event I've been looking forward to playing all year,' she said. Woad will have Ko and Lilia Vu for company in the marquee grouping for days one and two. 'I don't feel too different, to be honest,' Woad said. 'I got a lot of confidence from the last month, really. I am just trying to continue to ride that. There's always pressure. I don't think there's any more than there was, like from my perspective, before any of the last few weeks. I was still wanting to contend and that's still the aim.' Like Scottie Scheffler, who is dominating the male game, Woad will not talk in headlines. Like the American, Woad's swing can be unorthodox. She has something in common with another icon of this sport; Woad is managed by the same agency as Tiger Woods. Woad serves as the latest example of how the American college circuit prepares golfers for life as a professional. The Surrey athlete excelled at Florida State University amid a rise to the summit of the amateur world ranking. 'She's been in a lot of those kind of tougher moments,' Ko added. 'Obviously it's different than being an amateur and playing collegiate golf to as a pro, but I think she's been there and done really well in those pressure conditions no matter what kind of environment she's been in. So I think there's a little bit more experience under her belt than what people probably give her credit for. 'When I've seen the coverage or how she composes herself, she doesn't seem like she rushes into things or gets like overly emotional. I'm sure that's going to help her with that transition as well.' Ko's analysis is valid. Woad's greatest strength is appearing totally unflustered when placed in tricky golfing scenarios. Her display of front-running at Dundonald Links on Sunday made a mockery of supposed rookie status. In Ireland, she won by half a dozen shots. 'Absolutely amazing,' said the world No 1, Nelly Korda, in adding to the chorus of commendation for Woad. 'I was very impressed with her composure, her process [in Scotland]. When it comes to her shot routine, especially under pressure and in the heat of the moment, sometimes people seem to fidget and kind of doubt themselves but she stuck to it, she stuck to her process every single time. I think one of the main things that I noticed is how mature she is for her age and how comfortable she was in the heat of the moment. 'You can see that she's put a ton of hours in. Her putting is very solid, her game's solid, she hits it pretty far off the tee. She grew up in this kind of weather too, so I feel like she's kind of comfortable.' It would seem a shock if Woad is not in Porthcawl contention. The R&A has increased the prize fund for this major, by $250,000 to $9.75m, with the winner collecting $1.4m. The male equivalent had its purse frozen for 2025. The scale of growth in the Women's Open is shown by the fact golfers were competing for $3.25m as recently as 2018. It was confirmed on Wednesday that the 2027 edition of the tournament will take place at Royal St George's, which has staged the men's Open 15 times. A rare stop for elite golf in Wales has seen players assess the local culture. 'When I drove from Scotland after I missed the cut last week, I saw all the road signs,' said Grace Kim. 'It went from like English to, not in a rude way, like gibberish.' Ouch. Out in the afternoon today is Ireland's Anna Foster, who qualified for Royal Portcawl in final qualifying at Pyle & Kenfig on Monday, and hopes to enjoy her latest experience of the event more than her first: "I played in the AIG Women's Open in 2023 at Walton Heath and it was quite an overwhelming experience as an amateur but now I feel I have more confidence in myself.' The other Irish contenders, Leona Maguire and Lauren Walsh, are both out this morning. Guardian
Irish Independent
5 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Putting holds the key for Leona Maguire and Séamus Power in season-ending run
They say happiness is a long walk with a putter, but even a short walk would be good news for Séamus Power and Leona Maguire as they face important tests this week. For Maguire, the AIG Women's Open represents her final chance to win a Major title this year and while England's Lottie Woad is the favourite at Royal Porthcawl, the Co Cavan star has shown signs recently that she's got the game to tough it out.
Irish Times
15 hours ago
- Irish Times
Leona Maguire leads three-strong Irish contingent at AIG Women's Open
Leona Maguire brings some very strong form into the AIG Women's Open at Royal Porthcawl, as the 30-year-old Cavan golfer heads a three-strong Irish contingent in the season's final Major, with Kildare's Lauren Walsh and Dubliner Anna Foster also seeking one of the sport's top prizes. The R&A has increased the prize money for the event to a record €8.46 million ($9.75 million), more than doubling the purse since 2019 when the R&A and title sponsors AIG began their partnership of the championship. This is the 49th year of the championship which has yet to produce an Irish winner, although Maguire – competing in the event for a ninth time – was leading amateur in 2016 and contended strongly at Muirfield in 2022 before ultimately finishing fourth behind South Africa's Ashleigh Buhai. Maguire's form has seen an upturn of late, with top-10s in both the KPMG Women's PGA and the Amundi Evian Championship, and she again has veteran caddie Phil 'Wobbly' Morbey on her bag after a strong start to their new partnership at last week's Scottish Open. READ MORE Walsh, currently 15th on the LET order of merit, missed the cut at St Andrews last year but has five top-10s so far this season, while LET rookie Foster, who has veteran caddie Brian Byrne on her bag, earned her place in the field with an impressive performance in final qualifying at the nearby Pyle & Kenfig earlier this week. The spotlight, though, is very much on emerging star Lottie Woad , who won the KPMG Irish Open as an amateur earlier this month and won the ISPS Handa Scottish Open on her professional debut last week. Lottie Woad after winning the 2025 Women's Scottish Open at the Dundonald Links, Irvine. Photograph: Steve Welsh/PA Nelly Korda , the world number one, isn't used to being overshadowed. Neither is Lydia Ko , the Olympic gold medallist. Yet, they are on this occasion, with Woad's name on everyone's lips. Even Korda's, it would seem: 'Absolutely amazing,' said the American of Woad's impact. 'I was very impressed with her composure, her process. I think, when it comes to her shot routine, especially under pressure and in the heat of the moment. 'Sometimes people seem to fidget and kind of doubt themselves, but she stuck to it, she stuck to her process every single time, and I think one of the main things that I noticed is how mature she is for her age and how comfortable she was in the heat of the moment.' For her part, Ko remarked of Woad: 'I don't know a lot about her game personally, but the little that I've seen, she seems super impressive and has that kind of cool, calm, collected demeanour, and that's, I think, pretty important as a player. She's kind of come out with a bang, and I'm sure she's going to keep continuing to play well.' Woad had Dermot Byrne on her bag in Scotland but will have her coach Luke Bone on duty this week on the Welsh coast. Of being installed as championship favourite in just her second appearance as a professional, Woad said: 'I don't know how they do it, but I feel like I'm playing well, so I guess I was going to be one of the favourites. Obviously, everyone's so good, so I feel like anyone can win really.' Ireland's Lauren Walsh and Anna Foster during a practice round ahead of the AIG Women's Open at Royal Porthcawl. Photograph:Lowdown Purse: €8.46 million (€1.26 million to the winner) Where: Porthcawl, Mid Glamorgan, Wales. The course: Royal Porthcawl – par 72, 6,748 yards – is a classic links originally designed by Ramsay Hunter which opened for play in 1898 and was then modified by legendary course architect Harry Colt. In more recent years, Martin Ebert – the R&A's go-to man for upgrades – made changes so it will provide a tough championship examination. The par-4 16th – played from an elevated tee to a heavily bunkered fairway – effectively starts a difficult run for home. The field: For what is the fifth and final Major of the LPGA Tour season, the AIG Women's Open has attracted a stellar entry headed by world number one Nelly Korda, with Lydia Ko defending the title. So far this season three of the four Majors have been won by first-time champions: Mao Saigo (The Chevron), Mai Stark (the US Women's Open) and Grace Kim (the Evian), with only Minjee Lee's success in the KPMG Women's PGA – her third Major win – going to a multiple champion. Quote-Unquote: 'We've kind of spoken of the game plan and learned from what he was challenged with [at Royal Portrush]. It's kind of stay out of those pot fairway bunkers and just play as safe as possible, really try to hit as many fairways, that's kind of the goal for this week.' – Royal Porthcawl home hope Darcey Harry on having her boyfriend, DP World Tour player Jacob Skov Olesen, on her bag this week having featured at The Open at Royal Portrush. Irish in the field: It's a further indication of the ongoing evolution of Irish women professionals that there are three players competing in the Major. Lauren Walsh is in a group with Dongeun Lee and Anna Huang (teeing off at 6.41am); Leona Maguire is grouped with Andrea Lee and Amy Yang (7.58am), and Anna Foster is in a three-ball with Amelia Garvey and Emma Spitz (3.11pm). Weather eye: There is a chance of heavy rain Thursday morning with wind gusts of up to 25mph, meaning tricky conditions for the early starters. Strong winds are likely to continue on Friday with gusts of 25-30mph, although conditions should be dry. Sunshine expected throughout the weekend, with some scattered showers possible on Sunday. Betting: Lottie Woad's blitzkrieg start to her professional career in winning the Scottish Open, having already won the KPMG Women's Irish Open as an amateur earlier this month, has seen the English golfer installed as 6-1 favourite ahead of world number one Nelly Korda and Jeeno Thitikul who are both rated 9-1 shots. Better value, though, can be found further down the market with Lydia Ko at 33-1. Leona Maguire has shown good form of late and is also an each-way look at 55-1. In terms of long shots, Amelia Garvey is available at 200-1 plus and is worth a look. On TV: Live on Sky Sports Golf from 12pm.
