ENGLAND’S Lottie Woad lived up to her billing as one of golf’s brightest new stars by winning the US$2 million ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open, in her first start as a professional and as an LPGA Tour member.
Woad fought off a back nine challenge from Korean Hyo Joo Kim at Dundonald Links on Sunday to triumph by three shots with a total of 21-under-par 267 (67, 65, 67, 68), matching the 72-hole tournament scoring record set by Japan’s Ayaka Furue in 2022.
The win was Woad’s first on the LPGA Tour and second on the Ladies European Tour, following her six-shot victory at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open as an amateur earlier this month.
“Very special to win in my first event. Everyone was chasing me today, and I managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch, and hit a lot of good shots,” said Woad, 21.
Woad turned professional following her joint third place finish at The Amundi Evian Championship two weeks ago, having earned LPGA Tour membership through the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway (LEAP) by attaining the minimum 20 points.
Heading into the final round, Woad had a two-shot lead over Korean Sei Young Kim and Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen with Hyo a shot further back. It was Hyo who emerged as the main challenger, making back-to-back birdies on Holes 10 and 11 to tie Woad on 19-under-par. However, the English player responded imperiously with her own pair of birdies at 13 and 14.
When Hyo dropped a shot at the par-three 15th, Woad led by three shots and looked to be in cruise mode. A bogey at the par-four 16th after missing the green failed to derail Woad’s title charge, and she sealed the win with a grandstand birdie at the par-five 18th after dialling in a wedge to two feet of the pin.
“I felt pretty good going down 18 because I knew I had a two-shot lead and just hit an 80-yard layup and an 80-yard shot. It’s always nice to finish with a birdie,” noted Woad, whose first professional paycheque was worth US$300,000.
Chasing her eighth LPGA title and second of the year, Hyo was undone by the bogey at 15 and another at the next hole. Her closing 68 for an 18-under-par 270 total sealed outright second place by a comfortable four-shot margin over Kim (73) and Spanish rookie Julia Lopez Ramirez who closed with a superb 65.
Woad is just the third player to win in their first start as an LPGA Tour member, joining Korean Jin Young Ko (2018) and American Beverly Hanson (1951). She is the ninth player to win in their first professional start in an official LPGA Tour event since 1980, and the first since Rose Zhang at the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open.
Woad is the eighth Rolex First-Time Winner of the 2025 LPGA Tour season, which has now seen 20
different winners.
The world’s top lady golfers will now head to Wales for the final Major of the 2025 season, the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl where New Zealand’s Lydia Ko will seek to defend the title.
