The LPGA has its next potential star: Lottie Woad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And this week at the ISPS Handa Women\u2019s Scottish Open, she\u2019s making her professional debut close to home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nSign Up Now. SI Golf Newsletters. Sports Illustrated\u2019s Free Golf Newsletters. dark<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u201cObviously, very excited,\u201d she said. \u201cYeah, been thinking about making my professional debut for a long time. Excited to do it more on home soil, as well. It\u2019s going to be really fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Woad is a 21-year-old who recently left Florida State University and was the top-ranked amateur player in the world. She has already put together a distinguished resume, claiming the 2022 British Amateur, the 2024 Augusta National Women\u2019s Amateur and low amateur honors at the 2024 AIG Women\u2019s Open and 2025 U.S. Women\u2019s Open.<\/p>\n
A few weeks ago she made more history.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Woad, as an amateur, beat out a strong field at the Ladies European Tour\u2019s Women’s Irish Open, winning by six strokes. She earned status on that tour with the victory, but it only took her another week to earn an LPGA card.<\/p>\n
\nLottie Woad\u2019s winning moment \ud83c\udfc6<\/p>\n
Woad wins the @KPMGWomensOpen<\/a> by six shots. What an incredible performance \ud83d\udc4f#KPMGWIO<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/CDpNIAElKD<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) July 6, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
She did that by finishing third at the Amundi Evian Championship, one of women\u2019s golf\u2019s five major championships.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Through the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway program (LEAP), which began late last year, Woad crossed the 20-point threshold status needed to secure full status. She\u2019s fully exempt on the circuit until the end of next season, forgoing her final season at FSU.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c(Evian) was really cool,\u201d she said. \u201cSunday was obviously a really fun day being in contention and being close in the end. Yeah, and then obviously got my LPGA card from that, and so it was a pretty easy decision once I\u2019d spoken to my coaches and my team.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Woad\u2019s newest competitors expect big things from her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve not been in Lottie\u2019s shoes,\u201d said Lauren Coughlin, the Scottish Open\u2019s defending champion. \u201cSo I don’t know what it might feel like. She makes it look so easy sometimes at a young age. So I\u2019m kind of a little jealous.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, she\u2019ll make her debut on a links setup playing with Charley Hull and world No. 1 Nelly Korda. Woad hasn\u2019t played much golf across the Atlantic this year, but feels the \u201ctransition to it is kind of not too bad since I grew up playing amateur stuff on links golf and kind of know how to flight the ball down and stuff like that, which always really helps playing in the wind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Woad is also open to finishing her degree, as former amateur standout Rose Zhang is doing<\/a>, but isn\u2019t sure she will because she wants \u201cto put a lot of my focus into this.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2023, Zhang became the first player to win in their pro debut since Beverly Hanson in 1951. Woad, just two years later, would love to follow suit. But for now it\u2019ll be business as usual.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot really, no,\u201d Woad said when asked if she feels different after turning professional. \u201cJust try and do the same as I was doing before.\u201d<\/p>\n