Lottie Woad closed out the dream start to her professional golf career by closing out an impressive three-shot victory at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open.
Woad secured her maiden Ladies European Tour title earlier this month at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open and narrowly missed out on major victory the following week at the Amundi Evian Championship, with the Englishwoman maintaining her form in her professional debut.
The 21-year-old took a two-shot lead into the final day at Dundonald Links and never relinquished control at the event, co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour, holding off Hyo Joo Kim and the chasing pack to take the title.
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Lottie Woad wins the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open in her first tournament as a professional
Woad mixed five birdies with a lone bogey to post a final-round 68 and end the week on 21 under, three clear of Kim, with Sei Young Kim in tied-third on 14 under alongside Spain’s Julia Lopez Ramirez.
Victory sees Woad become just the third player in history to win their first start on the LPGA Tour as an LPGA Tour Member and just the 12th Englishwoman to win on the LPGA Tour,
How Woad completed dream debut
Woad holed a six-foot birdie at the second and added another at the par-five next, but saw her lead cut to one when Kim – playing in the group ahead – followed an opening-hole birdie by making three in a row from the fifth.
Kim cancelled out a bogey at the eighth by starting her back nine with successive birdies to pull level with Woad, who responded by birdieing the 13th and rolling in from eight feet to take advantage of the par-five next.
Woad closed out a historic victory in Scotland
Woad temporarily went three ahead when Kim undid her birdie at the 14th with bogeys over each of her next two holes, with the rookie maintaining control of the tournament despite finding thick rough with her approach into the par-four 16th and then two-putting for bogey.
A par at the 17th kept Woad’s two-shot buffer heading to the par-five last, where she elected to lay up before flicking a wedge to two feet and close out a memorable victory in style.
Kim matched Woad’s 68 to claim second, while Ramirez’s final-round 65 was enough for tied-third when Sei Young Kim double-bogeyed her final hole. Nelly Korda grabbed fifth place ahead of Nanna Koerstz Madsen, playing in the final group alongside Woad, who finished with a triple-bogey.
England’s Alice Hewson carded back-to-back 69s over the weekend to finish in a share of tenth, while Leona Maguire ended tied-16th and Charley Hull finished in a share of 21st after both posting final-round 71s.
Woad proud of ‘unexpected win’
“It [winning] is a pretty good outcome, I guess!” Woad said. “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event, but knew I was playing well. 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.
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Lottie Woad was pleased to win her first LPGA Tour event on her professional debut at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open and says she’s targeting victory at the AIG Women’s Open
“I didn’t know I’d got level [with Kim]. I knew it would be quite tight, as I was only a couple under at the turn. When I had the two birdies early on the back nine I knew I probably had a bit of a lead by then.
“I don’t get to play it too often – this is my first time playing links golf since the AIG Women’s Open last year. I wasn’t exactly sure how it would go but it went fine!”
Who will win the AIG Women’s Open? Watch throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage from the opening round begins on Thursday from midday on Sky Sports Golf. Not got Sky? Stream the women’s majors and more with no contract.
