Lottie Woad Dominates Irish Open, Wins Pro Tournament by Six Shots
Lottie Woad just added another impressive achievement to her already stellar resume. The 21-year-old amateur from Farnham, England, captured the Ladies European Tour’s KPMG Women’s Irish Open at Carton House Golf Club by a commanding six shots.
Woad fired a final-round 4-under 69 on Sunday to finish at 21 under for the tournament. She entered the final round with a seven-shot cushion over two-time LPGA winner Madelene Sagstrom and never let up, posting six birdies against just two bogeys. Sagstrom closed with a 68 to finish alone in second at 15 under.
What makes this win even more remarkable is the strength of the field. Several LPGA regulars competed, including Charley Hull, Georgia Hall, and Leona Maguire.
This isn’t just any amateur we’re talking about. Woad has been absolutely dominant at Florida State, racking up five collegiate wins. During her junior season, she didn’t finish worse than tied for third in any tournament until the NCAA Championship, where she still managed to tie for eighth.
On top of that, Woad won the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur and earned low-amateur honors with a T-10 finish at last year’s AIG Women’s Open. She’s since added low amateur at this summer’s U.S. Women’s Open and has held the No. 1 spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking since June 12, 2024.
Woad joins rare company as an amateur winning a professional event. She’s the first amateur to win on the LET since Jana Melichova at the 2022 Tipsport Czech Ladies Open. Lydia Ko also accomplished this feat at the 2013 New Zealand Women’s Open when she was just 15.
Speaking of Ko, her LET win came between her two Canadian Women’s Open titles in 2012 and 2013, which she won by three and five shots. Ko is among just five amateurs to win on the LPGA, alongside Polly Riley (1950 Tampa Open), Catherine Lacoste (1967 U.S. Women’s Open), Pat O’Sullivan (1951 Titleholders), and JoAnne Carner.
So what’s next for Woad? Despite the win, she doesn’t earn any LEAP points from this victory. She currently sits at 18 points in the LPGA program, just two shy of earning her LPGA card. The good news is she’ll likely get those four remaining points by winning another McCormack Medal, awarded to the top amateur after the U.S. Women’s Amateur in August. Her main competition for world No. 1, Mirabel Ting, recently announced she’s turning pro.
Once Woad reaches 20 points, she’ll face a decision: accept LPGA membership immediately and skip her final season at Florida State, securing full status through next season, or return to school and defer her membership until next year. If she chooses the latter, she’d only receive one season of status.
Either way, it’s clear we’re watching a special talent who’s making the transition from amateur to professional look remarkably easy.
