Woad wins Women's Scottish Open in pro debut

Two weeks ago, Lottie Woad was the world's No. 1 amateur. On Sunday, the 21-year-old Englishwoman became an LPGA Tour champion successful her nonrecreational debut.

Woad won the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open by 3 strokes, matching her property astatine 21-under par aft closing with a 4-under 68 astatine Dundonald Links successful Ayrshire, Scotland.

"It's a beauteous bully outcome, I guess," Woad said. "Definitely wasn't expecting to triumph my archetypal event, but I knew I was playing well."

Woad capped a singular period with her 5th birdie of the time astatine the par-5 18th hole. She won the Women's Irish Open connected the Ladies European Tour arsenic an amateur 3 weeks agone and missed a playoff by 1 changeable the adjacent week astatine the Evian Championship large earlier deciding to skip her elder play astatine Florida State and crook pro.

Woad, who held the pb aft the 2nd and 3rd rounds, started beardown Sunday with birdies astatine Nos. 2 and 3. After 9 consecutive pars, she birdied Nos. 13 and 14 earlier a lone bogey astatine the par-4 16th.

"There aren't that galore scoreboards out, determination to beryllium honest," Woad said. "... I knew it was astir apt rather choky due to the fact that I was lone a mates nether astatine the turn, but past erstwhile I had the 2 birdies aboriginal connected the backmost nine, I'd knew I'd gotten a spot of a pb by then."

Woad matched the uncommon accomplishment by Rose Zhang, who successful June 2023 became the archetypal subordinate successful 72 years to triumph successful her LPGA Tour debut astatine the Mizuho Americas Open. Beverly Hanson won the Eastern Open successful her debut successful 1951.

Woad collected $300,000 successful her archetypal pro payday and volition transportation a upland of momentum into adjacent week's 5th and last major, the AIG Women's Open astatine Royal Porthcawl successful Wales.

"Trying to conscionable beryllium up determination really," Woad said of her expectations adjacent week aft tying for 10th spot past twelvemonth astatine St. Andrews. "That's each you tin inquire for."

South Korea's Hyo Joo Kim matched Woad's 68 connected Sunday to decorativeness successful solo 2nd spot astatine 18-under. She reached 20-under with a birdie astatine the 14th but fell backmost with consecutive bogeys astatine Nos. 15 and 16.

Spain's Julia Lopez Ramirez changeable the circular of the time with a 7-under 65 to decorativeness successful a necktie for 3rd astatine 14-under with South Korea's Sei Young Kim (73), who closed with a costly treble bogey astatine the 18th.

"My crippled was successful a precise bully place, precise consistent," Lopez Ramirez said. "I played nether par each day. I deliberation honestly that's a occurrence and increasing my game, and I'm excited for having the accidental to play adjacent week and to amusement up again."

World No. 1 Nelly Korda (71) claimed 5th spot astatine 13-under. Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen (76) began the time tied for 2nd but slipped to sixth astatine 11-under aft a triple-bogey astatine No. 18.