The world number one-ranked amateur, Lottie Woad, rose to the occasion to claim her first victory on the professional stage at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open. Her final round 69 (-4) resulted in a dominant six-stroke triumph over Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom.
Woad, the former ACC golfer of the year and 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion, was in control all week. After taking the lead following the second round, she never looked back, increasing her lead to a comfortable seven strokes entering the final round. Although she was in a position to win her first professional tournament as an amateur, Woad was confident going into the round.
“I knew if I kept playing how I was playing, someone would have to shoot the lights out to catch me,” she said. “Just tried to stick to my own game.”
Although Woad was the winner of the tournament, she will not take home any prize money from the result due to her amateur status. Sagstrom, the runner-up, will earn €67,000.
Woad will be in the field next week at the Amundi Evian Championship with top players from all over the world. Names like Nelly Korda, Minjee Lee and Jeeno Thitikul will compete in the fourth major of the season.
