English amateur Woad, 21, romps to Women's Irish Open win

BBC News

06-07-2025

Women's Irish Open final-round leaderboard-21 L Woad (Eng*); -15 M Sagstrom (Swe); -14 A Garvey (NZ); -12 C Hull (Eng); -10 H Screen (Eng), F Fernandez (Spa), C Tamburlini (Swi), K Rudgeley (Aus)Selected others: -8 A Foster (Ire), A Hewson (Eng); -7 L Beveridge (Sco), D Harry (Wal); -6 M MacLaren (Eng) E Hamilton (Eng); -3 C Williams (Wal), M Rhodes (Eng); -2 G Hall (Eng), C Screene; -1 L McClymont (Sco*); Level L Maguire (Ire); +3 E Fleming (Ire*)* denotes amateurFull leaderboard
English amateur Lottie Woad carded a four-under final-round 69 to claim her first Ladies European Tour title in dominant fashion with a six-shot victory at the Women's Irish Open.Woad, the world number one amateur, hit the front in windy conditions on Friday, extended her lead to seven strokes in Saturday's third round and made six birdies and two bogeys on Sunday to cruise home at Carton House.The 21-year-old - who broke 70 in all four rounds - becomes the first non-professional to win on the Ladies European Tour since Czech player Jana Melichova at the 2022 Czech Ladies Open.Woad, who won the 2024 Augusta National Women's Amateur title and finished tied 10th in last year's Women's Open, carded just three bogeys all week in a hugely impressive performance in County Kildare.Sweden's four-time Solheim Cup player Madelene Sagstrom (68) finished second with England's world number 19 Charley Hull (69) in fourth.
Because Load is an amateur, she will not receive any prize money, with the 67,500 euro (£58,000) winner's cheque going to Sagstrom. Anna Foster (72) was the leading Irish player in a share of 12th on eight under, while her fellow countrywoman Canice Screene carded a bogey-free seven-under 66 - the joint-lowest round of the day - to finish inside the top 40. Having established a comfortable 54-hole cushion, Woad picked up two birdies in her first four holes on Sunday before dropping a shot at the par-four fifth. Surrey's Woad regained that shot with a birdie three at the eighth and picked up another at the 13th. The Florida State University player dropped a shot at the par-five 15th, but bounced back with birdies on her next two holes, a four at the par-five 17th coming after she nearly holed her approach. While Woad nearly produced a grandstand finish by holing a long birdie putt at the last, a par secured a winning score of 271. England's Hannah Screen hit a 67 to share fifth place, but home favourite Leona Maguire closed with a disappointing 75 to finish in a tie for 48th.