World number one amateur Lottie Woad is back in action this week, riding high after capturing her maiden LET title at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open.
England’s rising star delivered a dominant performance at Carton House, A Fairmont Hotel, cruising to a six-shot victory over Sweden’s Madelene Sagström.
“It meant a lot”, reflecting on her win. “I hadn’t played in Ireland that much before, it was such a fun week. The fans were amazing, and I got to test my game against some really good players. I’m just really happy with how I put one foot in front of the other.”
The maiden LET winner was straight on a flight at 6am the next morning to France so celebrations were slightly limited.
Heading into this week, she is hoping to just carry on the momentum. “If that means I can be in contention, that would be great. I’m just trying to play good golf and continue what I was doing last week”, she continued.
Woad has held the number one spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking since June 2024, further cementing her status as one of the game’s brightest young talents. This week marks the rising stars second time playing at The Amundi Evian Championship.
She finished 23rd in the Chevron Championship 2024, her very first major tournament, as an amateur. The Englishwoman just needs two points to be eligible for her LPGA card through the LPGA Elite Amateur pathway which she could earn if she finishes in the top 25 this week.
She continued: “It’s obviously all very new and I’m happy that I get the opportunity to try and earn these points. I’ve got a few opportunities coming up, so I’m just trying to play good golf and then see where it puts me in the end and make a decision after that.”
Woad was positive about the program, not just for amateur golf but for the health of golf in general.
“I think it’s great. Obviously it’s amazing if you don’t have to go to Q-School. That’s such a tough week. If I can bypass that, that would be great. I think it just encourages everyone to go to college and maybe play a bit more amateur golf, which never really hurts anyone, and take the time to develop and get these points.”
The 21-year-old spoke about how staying in college at Florida State has really helped her game. “I hadn’t played in the U.S. before until I went to college. It’s definitely different, different types of courses, and just being in the environment and having all the opportunities – the coaches, the facilities; it’s just second to none.”
Woad will be kicking off her major campaign at 7:24am (local time) alongside France’s Perrine Delacour and Ireland’s Leona Maguire.
You can follow all the action throughout the tournament on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram, TikTok and X, and Ladies European Tour on YouTube and Facebook – #evianchamp.
