Latest news with #Dundonald
The Herald Scotland
18 hours ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Women's golf in Scotland continues to play catch up
Think of auld Cammy and Norrie necking back 12 cans, blethering about the fitba and dozing off as the chip pan goes ablaze and you get the general idea. If hygge doesn't float your boat, then there's always niksen, which is the Dutch notion of doing absolutely nothing. Or you could try fika, which is the Swedish art of the coffee break. It's actually the favoured concept of the sports editor who regularly pores over this column with a chipped mug of Nescafe Gold Blend and mutters, 'what the fika is he writing about now?'. Or something like that. So, what are we going to write about this week? Well, let's have a meander along with the amateur-to-professional transition. Lottie Woad seems to have mastered it. Her victory in the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open on Sunday in her first start as a professional was a quite tremendous effort. Forget hygge, niksen or fika. Perhaps 'Lottie' could become a type of buzzword for self-help in golf? While Woad marched to glory at Dundonald Links, a programme aimed at boosting various layers of women's golf here in Scotland was launched. As part of the initiative, some funding to help smooth the path between the amateur game and the professional scene was unveiled. We all know that birling here, there and everywhere as a touring golfer can lead to the kind of eye-watering expenses sheet that would make Auric Goldfinger choke on his bullion. In the women's game, with fewer playing opportunities, smaller prize pots but just as much outlay, the figures often don't add up. That earlier 007 reference is quite apt. Financial assistance to the leading Scottish players is being provided by the Sean Connery Foundation. Not quite Licence to Kill, more licence to help with some of the bills. Hannah Darling, who made her pro debut at Dundonald, and Lorna McClymont, who is in her rookie year on the Ladies European Tour, are the first recipients of this funding with more, hopefully, to benefit in the next few years. This amateur-to-pro lark, both in the male and female game in Scotland, has caused much head scratching and teeth gnashing down the seasons. Scores of talented amateur golfers were tipped for great things but, upon turning pro with little financial backing or a hand to guide them, struggled to keep their heads above water and disappeared into obscurity. A number of years ago, Iain Stoddart, the effervescent head of the Bounce management firm which has nurtured Robert MacIntyre's career, pieced together a meaty document broadly equivalent to the Beveridge Report as he mapped out a plan to bolster the health of the country's rookie pros. The tome was called 'Fusion Scotland' and it essentially called for the various stakeholders involved with Scottish golf to work together for a wider cause. In a such a fragmented scene as Scotland, with different bodies all protecting their pockets of power and influence, it was a complex exercise in gentle shepherding that was akin to a vast sheepdog trial. Stoddart and his team identified the problem areas and, over time, did a grand job in helping a new generation find their feet and prosper. The hope now is that a fresh wave of women golfers can benefit from the Connery Foundation's support. Finding our next Catriona Matthew was never going to be easy. We were spoiled by her trailblazing triumphs and wonderful longevity even though, in a wider sporting sense, her achievements were often woefully under appreciated. You could probably say that about UK women's golf in general. The exploits of the aforementioned Woad have certainly attracted plenty of attention. It probably helps that she, dare I say it, is English. But as various female pursuits garner unprecedented levels of coverage, golf, by and large, still muddles on in the margins and seems to have missed the tail wind that's been gusting behind other women's sports. At a club level here in Scotland, meanwhile, the push on the female front goes on. The top brass at Scottish Golf, the amateur game's governing body, have set a target of increasing the number of female members at domestic clubs by 15 per cent come 2027. In an evolving and increasingly challenging landscape, that's a fairly ambitious target. Compared to the rest of Europe, Scotland's female membership rates have always been embarrassingly low. Historical shackles haven't helped. For years, many clubs in the game's cradle treated women with hostility. Ignoring half the population was never going to be a solid platform for future development, was it? In recent years, though, concerted and admirable efforts have been made to make golf more appealing to the good ladies of all ages and all backgrounds. There's still a lot of catching up to do, though. As long as young girls are coming into the game at the grassroots, then there's always hope of some green shoots and a healthier future at all levels, from the club scene through to the professional stage. Now, if you don't mind, I'm off to immerse myself in some hygge. Where's that bloomin' chip pan?
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
England's Lottie Woad taking golf by storm after winning first professional start
In another life, Lottie Woad may very well have been turning out for the Lionesses in their Euro 2025 final on Sunday night. Instead, this remarkable young Englishwoman was making history of her own by winning on her first professional start at the Women's Scottish Open. It is fair to say that Woad made the correct choice as a highly-rated 12-year-old in the Southampton Academy. This huge Leeds United fan opted for the smaller ball and vowed to achieve huge things. And despite being in the baby steps of her career it is already a case of mission accomplished. This was no middling event in which she broke her maiden tag at her first attempt (although she was already a winner of a professional tournament). Sanctioned by the LPGA Tour, the tournament at Dundonald featured four of the world's top 10, including No 1 Nelly Korda. Ostensibly it is used as a links tune-up week for the Women's Open, the season's final major which begins at Royal Porthcawl. But it takes some winning, as it should with a $300,000 (£223,000) winning cheque. And the fact that Woad looked utterly nerveless in compiling a 21-under total to beat major winner Kim Hyo-joo by three shots, with Korda a further five strokes behind in fifth makes her success that much more fantastical. However, this was no fluke and definitely would not be classed as such. Three Sundays before she won the Irish Women's Open and the Ladies European Tour as an amateur – defeating English No 1 Charley Hull in the process – and the Sunday after came within a stroke of making the play-off at the Evian Championship and having the chance of becoming the first amateur in 58 years to win a major. Everything on Woad's CV pointed to her being an overnight success in the paid ranks, not least that she did not rush to join the superstars, first going through the age groups with England Golf and then not breaking this link or leaving her long-time coach, Luke Done, when inevitably crossing the channel to enrol in US college. Woad, who has only recently finished up at Florida State University, was the world No 1 amateur for more than a year, a period of dominance during which she won the Augusta National Women's Amateur on the hallowed Masters layout in 2024. It has been clear for a long time that the 21-year-old from Farnham, Surrey could be something special. In April, Karen Stupples, the 2004 Women's Open champion, told Telegraph Sport that ' Lottie is the best golf prospect the UK has produced since Rory McIlroy ' and explained what makes her stand apart. 'Clutch putting is an intangible that separates the great from the good – and she has it,' Stupples said. 'With her temperament and nerve, she'll be very suited to the professional game.' This was evident at the Ayrshire links where Woad grabbed the lead in the second round courtesy of a 65 and never looked back. Saying that, she was caught by Kim after 12 holes and the atmosphere intensified. No matter, Woad simply birdied the next two holes this time she was not about to squander the advantage. As accomplished as her putting happens to be, there is no doubt that her approach play is world class and on the 18th she spun in a wedge to a few feet. There was no wild celebration with caddie Dermot Byrne – formerly Shane Lowry's bagman – which was just added evidence that this is where she expects to be. 'I didn't know she'd got back to level and knew it would be quite tight, as I was only a couple under at the turn,' Woad said, following her 68. 'When I had the two birdies early on the back nine I knew I probably had a bit of a lead by then. 'I was just hoping to contend and played really solid today. It was pretty nice in the end, being able to lay up on the par five.I definitely wasn't expecting to win my first event, but knew I was playing well. It [winning] is a pretty good outcome, I guess.' If Woad was any more laid back she genuinely would have her own reading on the Stimpmeter. She is adamant that it did not bother her that had she been a pro she would have collected almost £400,000 for her heroics at the Irish and Evians. 'I knew that going into those events, so I didn't think about it, no,' she said. 'And honestly, I don't even know how much I've won today. I just know that if I play well then all that will take care of itself.' And what about Porthcawl where she will now command the spotlight after becoming the first Briton to win on her first start as a pro on the US circuit? 'I'm excited as I don't get to play links too often – this is my first time playing links golf since the AIG Women's Open last year [at St Andrews where she finished tied for 10th],' Woad, who is already in the world's top 30 said. 'I wasn't exactly sure how it would go. But it went fine.'
The Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Golfer Lottie Woad wins her FIRST ever event as a professional after missing out on nearly £500,000 in prize money
GOLF prodigy Lottie Woad has beaten the world's top golfers to win her very first event as a professional. Woad, 21, takes home £223,000 for winning the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open - after missing out on nearly HALF A MILLION in prize money because she was an amateur 3 3 Woad shot a final round of 68 at Dundonald to beat a star-studded field by three strokes. She turned pro last week after a remarkable month when she claimed her maiden Ladies European Tour triumph at the Irish Open, and took third place finish at the Evian Championship. She TWICE had to turn down huge cash prizes because the rules of golf mean she cannot take prize money while still an amateur. At the start of July Woad won the Women's Irish Open by six shots but because she was an amateur, she couldn't receive the £58,000 prize. Woad then missed out on £400,000 in prize money for coming third at the Evian Championship, the fourth women's major of the year. She finished just a shot outside the play-off won by Grace Kim - and a £1million first prize. Woad, from Farnham, Surrey, turned professional just a week ago after a spectacular career as an amateur golfer. She won the 2022 Girls Amateur Championship, then followed that up with victory at the Augusta National Women's Amateur last year. 3 The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball.
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Lottie Woad sits one off the lead at Women's Scottish Open
As for Lottie Woad? Well, she just takes it all in her stride. In her first start as a new recruit to the professional ranks, the supremely talented 21-year-old moved herself into early contention on day one of the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open at Dundonald Links. Flung into the marquee group with the world No 1, Nelly Korda, and box office hit, Charley Hull, Woad revelled in the occasion and marked a new era in her blossoming career with a sprightly five-under 67. There's nothing to this pro lark, eh? 'I don't think so,' said Woad, who finished a shot behind the pacesetting Charlotte Laffar. This game is never easy, of course, but Woad continues to ride a wave of confidence that has built up over a prolonged period of achievement. A winner of the Augusta National Women's Amateur Championship in 2024, Load went on to finish in a share of 10th as an amateur in the AIG Women's Open last summer. The Surrey youngster continued those amateur dramatics in the Irish Women's Open at the start of July and won by six shots before finishing in a tie for third in the fourth major of the women's campaign, the Amundi Evian Championship. Her switch to the paid game was inevitable. On a pleasant Ayrshire day, it was just business as usual for Woad amid all the hype and hoopla. 'I try and ignore it as much as possible,' she said after a sturdy round that featured six birdies and just a solitary dropped shot on the tricky 17th. 'When I was teeing off, I didn't expect to see so many people. I have high expectations for myself. I'll definitely take this (score).' Any early nerves were swiftly settled with a birdie on the second hole. 'I holed a nice 15-footer, and I was away from there,' she added. While Woad finished among the early frontrunners, Hannah Darling, the talented Scot who is also making her pro debut at Dundonald and was a Curtis Cup team-mate of Woad, had to settle for a two-over 74. It was still a spirited effort, though. A double-bogey and a triple-bogey could've completely knocked the stuffing out of her but Darling dug in and picked up three birdies on her closing fives holes to repair some of the damage. 'I'm proud of how I bounced back,' said Darling, who racked up a host of prizes during a terrific amateur career. 'I was very nervous on the first tee. Really happy to only make contact with the ball and then I was off.' Darling's dad won't forget his daughter's pro debut either. 'Oh, man, I hit a shot, and it was fine and the wind started taking it and I look up and he's walking right towards it and it clocked him in the back of the neck,' added Darling of clattering faither. 'Apparently, he was fine but I was just a bit worried about him. My dad is like, 'no, you just take care of yourself, I'll be fine'. Classic parent. I'm glad he's okay.' Korda, making her first appearance in the Women's Scottish Open, was lurking ominously on the leaderboard after a four-under 68 while Ireland's Leona Maguire finished a shot better off on 67 after a rousing start to her opening round. 'I holed out with a 9-iron on our first hole of the day, so I couldn't have asked for a better start,' said Maguire of her eagle-two. Laffar, meanwhile, had a slightly different start to the day but ended it at the top of the leaderboard. 'I started with a bogey but sometimes it goes that way and you relax into it,' she said after a fine 66. 'It was an amazing day.' Lauren Couhglin, the defending champion, opened with a 69 while the aforementioned Hull posted a 71. Aberdeen's Gemma Dryburgh, a winner on the LPGA Tour in 2022, struggled to a 78.
Hans India
6 days ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Pranavi returns from injury, Diksha and Tvesa ready to make mark at Scottish Open
Ayrshire (Scotland): Mysuru golfer Pranavi Urs will be back in action this week at the US 2 million Dollars ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open at Dundonald Links this week, after a long layoff due to injury back in May this year. The other Indians in the field are the in-form Diksha Dagar and Tvesa Malik as rookie Avani Prashanth and Hitaashee Bakshi failed to make the field. Pranavi, who won the Hero Women's Order of Merit in India in 2022 with five wins in a single season, was the top Indian on the Ladies European Tour in 2024. This season she was in the Top-15 at the Ford NSW Open in Australia and Investec SA Women's Open, she played and made the cut at Aramco Korea, but hurt her wrist. It got worse and she withdrew after the first round in the following week at the Dutch Ladies Open. She has not played since and is now 81st on the Order of Merit. Diksha has been having a good season that began with a runner-up finish at the Lalla Meryem Cup and she had four other Top-10 finishes and two more in Top-15. She is lying 13th on the Money List. Pranavi Urs plays with Kim Metraux of Switzerland and Spain's Fatima Fernandez Cano in the morning, while Diksha Dagar tees off with Miranda Wang of China and Korea's Sei Young Kim in the afternoon. Tvesa Malik will play alongside China's Weiwei Zhang and Norwegian Dorthea Forbrigd. The 2025 Women's Scottish Open at Dundonald Links is the ninth edition of the tournament since it became co-sanctioned with the LPGA Tour and the fourth consecutive year that Dundonald has hosted. A field of 144 players representing 32 nationalities will compete in a 72-hole stroke play competition with a cut to the top 65 players and ties after 36 holes. Lottie Woad will make her professional bow. The English star turned professional after securing her LPGA Tour card through the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway (LEAP). Woad, the former world number one amateur, stormed to a six-stroke victory at the KPMG Women's Irish Open at the start of July. The 21-year-old then headed to the Amundi Evian Championship needing just a top-25 finish to secure her final two points to earn her LPGA Tour card. But Woad's scintillating form continued as she produced rounds of 68-69-70-64 to secure a T3 finish in the fourth major of the year. Scotland's Hannah Darling, who played for Team Europe at the 2019 PING Junior Solheim Cup, will be making her professional debut this week.
