English amateur Lottie Woad wins Women's Irish Open by 6 shots
Woad, the world No. 1 amateur, had entered the final round with a seven-stroke lead and shot a 4-under 69.
The 21-year-old Woad ended at 21-under par for the tournament, six strokes ahead of second-placed Madelene Sagstrom of Sweden. New Zealander Amelia Garvey was third.
The previous time an amateur won a Ladies European Tour event was in 2022, when Jana Melichova secured victory at the Czech Ladies Open.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
30 minutes ago
- New York Times
Lauren James: The player who strikes a ball like no one else in the women's game
'All opponents have to accept she has more physical power than anybody else,' said Netherlands head coach Andries Jonker of Lauren James.'The moment she gets the ball and starts to dribble, it's very difficult for women to get her off the ball, wherever she plays.' James took one touch with her left foot to control the pass from Alessia Russo, followed by another two before unleashing a fireball. Her opening goal against the Netherlands is the fastest and most powerful of the 2025 European Championship so far, clocking a spin rate of 101.93 kmph (63.3mph). 'I couldn't give her those things,' her former coach, and now United States Women's National Team manager, Emma Hayes said when asked about James' shooting technique following her hat-trick against Liverpool in November 2023. 'She's the most naturally gifted footballer in the country.' James' kicking technique is a 'textbook definition' according to Archit Navandar, assistant professor of biomechanics at Madrid's polytechnic university. 'If you see David Beckham taking a free kick, you would probably see something like this,' he tells The Athletic. James' brother, England and Chelsea defender Reece James, once tweeted his sister is 'technically better than some Premier League players'. Advertisement 'I don't even recognise the backlift people are on about!' James told the BBC women's football daily podcast in April. Well, let's break down her shooting technique. The Chelsea forward is very good at creating space for herself to shoot. In this instance, when she receives the ball from Russo, she changes direction immediately. Her first two steps are noticeably big, according to Navandar. 'Those big strides, you need a lot of power in your legs to do that,' he says. 'It's like you're watching a sprinter.' Indeed, James, who has a high knee action, used to be a 200m sprinter when she was younger. 'She's built really strong… you don't see that from many female footballers,' said team-mate and friend Lucy Bronze who speaks to James about this attribute a lot given it has been influential during her career. When James picks up the ball, her weight is forward. She uses her momentum to push the ball where she wants without the need to add extra energy. 'As soon as she controls the ball, she directs it and at the same time accelerates forward,' says Navandar. 'That allows her space. That's not easy — not a lot of players can do that. (Lionel) Messi does it fantastically. When surrounded by players, he suddenly makes a decision to push the ball forward.' 🏴 LJ introduces herself to the Women's EURO stage 💎#WEUROGOTR || @Heineken — UEFA Women's EURO 2025 (@WEURO2025) July 9, 2025 When in position, James' support leg — her right in this case — is well placed next to the ball. 'It's very difficult to know where to put the support leg,' says Navandar. 'If it's too close or too far, it will impact the direction of the ball. It's like a golf swing. You need to be perfectly positioned to maximise the range of motion and maximum velocity is transferred from the kicking leg to the ball.' In the next phase, James' knee is at the maximum point of flexion. Her range of motion indicates good hip mobility and rotation. The motion before striking the ball is called the cocking movement. It's where the energy build-up happens. Think of compressing a spring or cracking a whip. 'With the hip mobility and power she is able to accumulate given her physique, she can transmit the maximum amount of energy,' says Navandar. He also notes minimal movement in James' pelvic tilt. She is not leaning to one side or the other which helps maintain stability. James' initial backlift and preparation is 'very unique', according to Navandar. Advertisement 'Men's players are able to break the backlift into two distinct phases: backlift and leg cocking,' he says. James is able to do this too which is rare among women players. 'Normally you would see a different technique with women. I'm not saying it's not there, but this level of coordination is difficult. You might have women players who are able to kick the ball, extend the hip as much as James but not generate the same amount of velocity. She is able to use that coordination to store up the energy she needs to transfer the momentum in the acceleration phase.' The whip-like motion in the acceleration phase means maximum velocity is applied to the ball. James uses her whole body to generate power. She hits this shot with her laces. The more surface area in contact with the ball, the greater transmission of power and velocity. 'Just like when you volley with the laces, you have better impact than side-footing,' says Navandar. James' left arm is outstretched and she is stabilised by her trunk, which helps maximise the momentum transfer. With her arm out, James can put her support leg a little further ahead to generate the backlift. She is not leaning down so she has more space to rotate. 'You would expect the shot to go to the left, but it goes to the right because of the way she rotates her body,' Navandar says. 'She's using a lot of the hip rotators and getting a lot of power from the big hip and thigh muscles: gluteus maximus, biceps femoris and quadricep. It's very clear the glutes are firing.' James then releases the shot… At full extension her kicking leg is completely straight. 'That indicates an efficient transfer of momentum from the leg to the ball, a sign of great co-ordination,' says Navandar. She also maintains her balance. James rotates 180 degrees from her starting to finishing position which highlights her hip mobility but also the impact of the accumulation of energy created. 'It's a tough goal to score because it's not just about power,' says Navandar. 'It's about rotation and precision. Any football player dreams about hitting the top corner.' 'Sometimes she doesn't realise how powerful she is,' said Hayes. '(I say) 'You don't need to put any more leather into it.' She doesn't understand that. She says: 'I'm just hitting it normally.'' Bronze's favourite part of James' game is her shooting. 'She's probably the best player in this entire tournament for something special,' she said. 'There's a lot of special players in this tournament, (Alexia) Putellas and (Aitana) Bonmati, a huge number of talented players, but LJ's got that something special.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
🎙️ Donnarumma taking too many risks? Neuer and Eberl respond clearly
The severe injury of Jamal Musiala has overshadowed the FC Bayern's exit in the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup against PSG. Afterwards, both Manuel Neuer and sports director Max Eberl commented on the scene and Gianluigi Donnarumma. "It's tragic," said Eberl in a media round after the game, Musiala is "extremely down, extremely sad [...] We love him for his joy of playing, now such a setback - that's extremely difficult for him, but we're there for him as a family." Donnarumma, who had reacted affectedly himself, should not be attributed "zero intention", emphasized the 51-year-old, "but he didn't show any consideration. If I jump onto the lower leg with 100 kilos and while sprinting... No accusation, but he's taking that risk, in a certain intensity." Advertisement Bayern's captain Manuel Neuer also criticized his counterpart in the PSG goal in the mixed zone after the game: "With Jamal, it's a situation where you take the risk. A situation where I think you don't have to go in like that. But okay, we're keeping our fingers crossed that it's not that bad, but it will definitely be bad. To jump in like that is already risky. You're simply taking the opponent's injury into account. And then nothing happens afterwards." 📸 PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA - AFP or licensors Neuer was also bothered by the behavior of the PSG goalkeeper immediately after the scene. According to his own statement, Neuer had called Donnarumma to account on the field: "I went to him: 'Don't you want to go over there?' Jamal is lying there, he will probably have to stay in the hospital now, I think it's only respectful to go over, wish him all the best and apologize a bit. After that, he also went to Jamal." Advertisement After the game, the Italian spoke up on social media. On Instagram, the goalkeeper wrote: "All my prayers and best wishes are with you, Jamal Musiala." Donnarumma also shared a picture of himself, with his hand in front of his face, walking off the field with two PSG staff members during the game. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here. 📸 PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA - AFP or licensors
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Roads set to close for final day of Southern 100
Several roads in the south of the Isle of Man are set to close for the final day of racing in this year's Southern 100 Road Races. Run on the 4.75-mile (6.8km) Billown Course, the event is marking its 70th year in 2025. Advertisement Roads around the circuit will be closed between 09:30 and 12:00 BST and again from 13:30 to 16:45. Organisers also have the use of a contingency session between 18:00 and 20:30 if needed to complete the race programme. The conclusion of the event will see both the solo and sidecar champions for 2025 crowned. Racing at the event got off to a delayed start after rain showers hit the south of the island on Tuesday evening. That led to the two opening Senior Race events being postponed, while the Lightweight race began but had to be red-flagged on lap two because of the deteriorating conditions. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X. More on this story Related internet links
