LPGA's Newest Star Lottie Woad Joins Exclusive List By Winning Professional Debut
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Until this Sunday, golf history recognized only two women as winners in their professional debuts. It's such an extraordinary feat that both achieved it 71 years apart.
Rising LPGA Tour star Lottie Woad has just joined this exclusive list after her spectacular victory at the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open. The Englishwoman won with a score of 21-under, three strokes ahead of major winner Hyo Joo Kim.
Woad once again defeated a field packed with world stars, something she did three weeks ago when she won the Women's Irish Open on the Ladies European Tour, still playing as an amateur. In addition to Kim, major winners Sei Young Kim (3rd), Nelly Korda (5th), Ariya Jutanugarn (T8), and Minjee Lee (T21), among others, were present at the Dundonald Links.
Lottie Woad of England poses with the trophy following victory of the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open following the final round of the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open 2025 at Dundonald Links Golf Course on...
Lottie Woad of England poses with the trophy following victory of the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open following the final round of the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open 2025 at Dundonald Links Golf Course on July 27, 2025 in Troon, Scotland. MoreThe former World No. 1 amateur carded four birdies and a bogey on Sunday to extend her lead from the previous round. Woad was in contention from the very start, finishing second in the first round after a card of 67 and taking the lead a day later when she added a 65. She took a two-stroke lead after a 67 on Saturday.
Further evidence of her superiority over the weekend is that she was the only player in the field with scores in the 60s during each of the four rounds.
"It's a pretty good outcome," Woad said after her win, according to BBC. "I definitely wasn't expecting to win but knew I was playing well and just hoping to contend. There's not many scoreboards out there, but I knew it was probably quite tight at one stage."
Woad thus joins Beverly Hanson and Rose Zhang as the only female players to win in their professional debuts.
Hanson did so at the 1951 Eastern Open, defeating the legendary Babe Didrikson Zaharias. It was the start of an illustrious career of 17 LPGA Tour victories, including three major championships.
Seventy-one years later, Rose Zhang followed in her footsteps by winning the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open. Like Hanson and Woad, Zhang had a distinguished amateur career. She reached the No. 1 amateur ranking in the world and won all the major titles in that category.
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Boston Globe
37 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Lottie Woad looks every bit a veteran in winning Women's Scottish Open in her first LPGA event as a pro
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.' 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. Advertisement 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. Lottie Woad is victorious in her FIRST professional start at the Women's Scottish Open! 👏🏆 — Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) 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. Advertisement 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 '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 Advertisement 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 has had a different winner in all 19 tournaments this year, the longest stretch of no multiple winners in its 75-year history.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
3 players qualify for AIG Women's British after strong finish in Scotland
There was a tournament within a tournament going on at the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open as three spots for the LPGA's final major of the season were on the line. Julia Lopez Ramirez, Paula Reto and Mary Liu are all headed to Wales for the AIG Women's British Open at Royal Porthcawl. They'll now get to skip tomorrow's Final Qualifying at Pyle & Kenfig in Bridgend, Wales. Julia Lopez Ramirez, one of the longest players in the women's game, took a share of third after a closing 65 to punch her ticket. The LPGA rookie played in the final pairing of this year's U.S. Women's Open alongside eventual winner Maja Stark. "It was a really solid week for me, and it's the best finish this year, so very happy," said Lopez Ramirez. "My game was in a very good place, very consistent. I played under par every day. I think honestly that's a success and growing my game, and I'm excited for having the opportunity to play next week and to show up again." Veteran Paula Reto finished solo seventh after a closing 71. The 35-year-old South African has two top-30 finishes at the Women's British in only six starts. After a strong par save on the last, Reto hoped it would be enough to secure her spot at Porthcawl. "Obviously, I love that you don't have to hit perfect shots," said Reto of links golf. "So just that's something I really love to do, and being able to qualify today, I made like a good save on the last hole. I was really hoping it will bring me in." China's Mary Liu opened with a 76 at the Scottish Open and rebounded to finish solo fifth. Liu, who birdied the 18th on Sunday, called getting into the British part of the adventure of her second year on tour. "I feel it's a dream come true," she said.
Forbes
4 hours ago
- Forbes
Lottie Woad Wins Scottish Open In Professional Debut
As her wedge shot into the eighteenth hole at Dundonald Links danced around the pin leading to a finishing birdie at the Scottish Open, Lottie Woad announced to the professional golf world that she has arrived. A final round 68 capped off a three-shot victory over a loaded field at the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open. TROON, SCOTLAND - JULY 27: Lottie Woad of England plays her third shot on the 18th hole during the ... More final round of the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open 2025 at Dundonald Links Golf Course on July 27, 2025 in Troon, Scotland. (Photo by) Woad, the 21-year-old Englishwoman and former world number one ranked amateur's victory shouldn't come as a surprise to those who have been paying attention. In early July, she won the Irish Open as an amateur and backed up that performance with a T3 finish in the Evian Masters, a major on the LPGA Tour. On a windy day at Dundonald Links in Irvine, Scotland, Woad looked unfazed as Hyo Joo Kim made an early move on the front nine with four early birdies in the first seven holes. Woad herself had a clean card on the front nine with a bogey-free 34 as she displayed a very disciplined game, often seen in more seasoned players. After Kim's hot start, she also made birdies on the 11th and 12th holes and briefly shared the lead before Woad birdied the 13th and 14th holes to regain control of the championship. Walking up the eighteenth hole, Woad laid up into the par-5 finisher before sticking a 3/4 wedge to 2 feet to seal the tournament. 'You know, 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, which is nice,' Woad told the press. For her victory, the 21-year old made $300,000 and possibly more importantly, she earned status on the Ladies European Tour for the rest of this season (she also has LPGA status) which will allow her to accumulate points for next season's Solheim Cup. TROON, SCOTLAND - JULY 27: Lottie Woad of England poses with the trophy following victory of the ... More ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open following the final round of the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open 2025 at Dundonald Links Golf Course on July 27, 2025 in Troon, Scotland. (Photo by) Young Players Finding Success In Professional Debuts Woad became the second player in the last three years to win her pro debut. In 2023, Rose Zhang, the american stand out from Stanford, won her pro debut at the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National. World number one Nelly Korda, who played with Woad the first three rounds, got off to a great start making four-straight birdies on the front nine, before a bulky putter derailed her chances with a final round 71, finishing eight shots behind Woad. Woad hopped on the world stage last year as she birdied three of the final four holes to win the Augusta National Women's Amateur title. She commented that she felt more pressure there than in her professional debut in Scotland. "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." Women's professional golf heads to Wales next week to Royal Porthcrawl for the final major of the season, the AIG Women's Open. Lottie Woad will look to continue her stellar play as she will undoubtedly be one of the favorites to win.
