Bookmakers put Lottie Woad as the betting favorite heading into AIG Women's British Open
How dominant is Woad right now? She's 55 under par in her last 12 rounds on the LET and LPGA, beating the field on average by five strokes with a 67.3 scoring average.
Former British Open champ Catriona Matthew captained Woad at the Curtis Cup last year at Sunningdale and compared her to a young Karrie Webb.
'She's not out there for the glitz and the glam,' said Matthew, 'she just wants to be as good a golfer as she can be and go out and beat everyone.'
Lottie Woad's recent run has been impressive
It's how she's doing the winning that's impressive too, Matthew notes, taking Augusta National by storm with three birdies over the last four holes in 2024, running away from the field at the Irish Open to win by six, closing with a 64 at Evian to secure her LPGA card and then staring down major champions in Scotland to win by two.
Woad, now playing in her eighth major championship, certainly isn't scared.
'All the players out there can hit the shots,' said Matthew, 'but what makes her special is that she can do it when she has to.'
After her big win in Scotland, securing LPGA status through 2027, Woad and her family made the seven-hour drive to Wales to prep for her fourth major start of the season. After a missed cut at the Chevron, Woad tied for 31st at the U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills and finished one shot shy of a playoff at the Amundi Evian Championship, taking a share of third with Minjee Lee.
Woad plans to buy a car with $300K purse
With her first tournament paycheck of $300,000, Woad plans to buy a new car when she gets back to the United States and, as was revealed on the broadcast last week, get a driver's license.
She's seemingly taking it all in stride with a quiet confidence.
'I feel good, obviously,' said Woad. 'I don't feel too different, to be honest.'
World No. 1 Nelly Korda played alongside Woad in the first three rounds of the Scottish Open and was impressed with her composure and process, noting that while others tend to fidget and change things in the heat of battle, Woad stuck to her routine and looked comfortable. The elder Korda, who turned 27 on Monday, called Woad 'absolutely amazing.'
'It was great for me that I got to play with her my pro debut,' said Woad of Korda. 'She's someone I've always looked up to. She's obviously an amazing player and a great competitor, and to hear she said something like that is really nice.'
Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda impressed by Woad
Even Ko, the most recent inductee of the LPGA of Fame, noted in her pre-tournament presser that she's looking forward to seeing what she can learn from Woad playing alongside her in the first two rounds.
'Just because you're a higher-ranked player doesn't mean that there's something that I can't learn from somebody else,' said Ko. 'She's obviously playing great golf. I've seen her swing, and 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.'
The Irish Open has been on and off the LET's schedule over the past 30 years, but, as noted in the LPGA's KPMG Performance Insights, Woad became only the second player to win the Irish and Scottish Opens in the same season, joining fellow Englishwoman Laura Davies (1994). No player has won the Irish, Scottish and British in the same year.
What's the potential for Woad? Matthew is careful with her predictions, noting that Rose Zhang dramatically won her pro debut two years ago at the Mizuho Americas Open and then stalled.
'Obviously, you don't want to overhype it and go too over-the-top,' said Matthew, 'but the potential is there and the sky's the limit at the moment.'
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Lottie Woad is the betting favorite at Women's British Open
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
12 minutes ago
- USA Today
AIG Women's British Open live cut line tracker at Royal Porthcawl
The AIG Women's British Open is the fifth and final LPGA major of the season. After 18 holes, things are starting to take shape but the pressure is already on many who will battle to make the 36-hole cut. Royal Porthcawl in Wales is the host venue this week for all the fun. This is the 49th Women's Open but it's the first one to be contested at this historic golf course. Follow along all day Friday with Golfweek's live cut line tracker right here. How does the cut work at the AIG Women's British Open? The format is a 72-hole stroke play tournament that will start with 144 players. The low 65 and ties after 36 holes will advance to the weekend. What is the projected cut after 18 holes at the Women's British Open? After one round, the projected cut was 1 over (which would put an estimaed 73 golfers into the weekend) but that will very well be in flux throughout the day Friday. The cut at the 2024 AIG Women's British Open at St. Andrews was 4 over, with 82 players moving on to the weekend. 2025 AIG Women's British Open leaderboard Here's what the top of the Women's British Open leaderboard looks like after 18 holes: How many LPGA golfers have made the cut at each of the first four majors? These are 11 who made the cut at the Chevron, the U.S. Women's Open, the KPMG and the Amundi Evian in 2025: Where to follow, watch, listen to the Women's British Open In addition to the options listed above, the R&A will live stream coverage and R&A radio all four days as well. What is the prize money for the 2025 Women's British Open? The total purse at the AIG is $9.5 million with the winner taking home $1.425 million.
USA Today
41 minutes ago
- USA Today
2025 AIG Women's British Open live updates, leaderboard for Friday's second round
It's on to Round 2 at the 2025 AIG Women's British Open, held this year at Royal Porthcawl in Wales. Lydia Ko is the defending champion after claiming the Women's British Open a year ago at St. Andrews and after 18 holes, she is tied for 74th after a 1-over round on Thursday. Keep tabs on the second round of the Women's British Open all day Friday right here. 2025 AIG Women's British Open leaderboard Here's what the top of the Women's British Open leaderboard looks like after 18 holes: Where to watch, follow the 2025 Women's British Open In addition to the options listed below, the R&A will live stream coverage and have R&A radio all four days. The complete daily viewing information can be found here. What are the tee times for the second round of the Women's British Open? The first group is off at 1:30 a.m. ET (6:30 a.m. local time). All the second-round tee times can be found here. Who's in the field at the 2025 Women's British Open? It's a stacked tee sheet at Royal Portcawl in Wales with all 20 LPGA winners, including the winners of the first four LPGA majors in 2025, as well as 11 past champions ready to compete. All of the top 25 in the Rolex Rankings are there, including No. 1 Nelly Korda, No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, No. 3 Lydia Ko, No. 4 Ruoning Yin and No. 5 Minjee Lee. What is the field, format for the 2025 Women's British Open? The field will be 144 players with the low 65 and ties after 36 holes advancing to the third and final rounds. The format is 72 holes of stroke play. What is the prize money for the 2025 Women's British Open? The total purse at the AIG is $9.75 million with the winner taking home $1.4625 million, a new high in the event's history. That first-place money compares to the $1.2 million Grace Kim won at the Amundi Evian Championship, the $1.8 million Minjee Lee won at the KPMG Women's PGA, the $2.4 million Maja Stark won at the U.S. Open and the $1.2 million that Mao Saigo won at the Chevron Championship.
5 hours ago
Rio Takeda and Eri Okayama lead a Japanese surge in the Women's British Open
PORTHCAWL, Wales -- Rio Takeda overcame a double bogey at the turn with four birdies over her final seven holes Thursday for a 5-under 67 to share the lead with Eri Okayama in a Women's British Open that featured a Japanese surge and a mixed day for Lottie Woad. Japanese players held the top three spots at Royal Porthcawl, with Miyu Yamashita at 68. Three others were among the top 12 after an opening round in which the wind kept anyone from going low but about half the field was at par or better. Takeda, one of 20 players who have won on the LPGA Tour this year, took a double bogey on the par-5 ninth hole, only to rally over the closing hole to make up ground. Okayama, who plays the Japan LPGA, hit fairway metal to 12 feet on No. 17 for her final birdie. Woad started the month as the No. 1 amateur in women's golf. She won on the Ladies European Tour, missed a playoff by one shot in an LPGA major and then won the Women's Scottish Open against a strong field in her pro debut. She was the betting favorite at the final major of the year and did well to stay in the mix with a birdie on the par-5 18th for an even-par 72. Woad played alongside defending champion Lydia Ko (73) and Lilia Vu, a double major winner from two years ago, who had a 74. 'Had a good amount of birdies, just a few poor bogeys on the front nine that could have definitely been avoided,' Woad said. 'Nice to finish on par and birdie the last. It's one of those rounds that could have definitely gotten away from me. I am happy how I hung in there and got a decent round together.' Nelly Korda, whose No. 1 ranking she has held for the last 16 months is in jeopardy, had an early bogey and kept a clean card the rest of the way, adding three birdies for a 70. Much like Woad, that round could have produced a much higher score if not for a series of key pars, none bigger than Korda's 12-footer on No. 16. 'Sometimes you have to get lucky when you make the wrong decision. You kind of have to bail yourself out,' said Korda, still looking for her first win this year after seven titles last season. Korda and Woad played in the afternoon, when the wind began to blow harder off the Bristol Channel, and faced a quick turnaround before starting the second round in the morning. Mao Saigo, who won the first LPGA major of the year at the Chevron Championship, and Riviera Maya Open winner Chisato Iwai were in the large group at 69. That also included Mimi Rhodes of England, who leads the LET money list with three titles. Rhodes grew up playing across the Bristol Channel, and she came over a month ago to see Royal Porthcawl ahead of her first Women's British Open. The wind was strong that day, which made Thursday feel more manageable. 'The members told me it was the windiest they'd ever seen it, so I played it like with a lot of wind,' Rhodes said. 'So yeah, maybe I played it when it was at its toughest and now I just think it's easier.'
