Lottie Woad is set to return to the very course where she burst onto the professional scene with a spectacular victory, as she prepares to defend her title at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open this week. The 22‑year‑old English golfer first announced herself to the world last summer when, as a 21‑year‑old rookie, she entered the final round at Dundonald Links holding a two‑stroke lead.
She managed to withstand a determined chase from South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim and a pack of seasoned contenders, ultimately sealing the championship. That win placed Woad in an exclusive club: she became only the third player in LPGA Tour history to capture a tournament on her very first professional start.
The other two to achieve the feat were Rose Zhang, who did it in 2023, and Beverly Hanson, who accomplished the same back in 1951. Reflecting on that historic moment, Woad admitted that at the time she didn’t fully grasp its significance. "I didn’t appreciate it then, obviously because it was my first event," she told Sky Sports Golf ahead of her upcoming defense. "I didn’t know what to expect.
But after a year of weekly competition, playing alongside the same peers and witnessing just how talented everyone is, it feels even more special now." She added that the atmosphere this year feels different, noting that her family will be in the stands. "I’m very excited to be back. It’s a little different to last year – I’ve got the family here as well. It will be a fun week," she said.
Woad’s meteoric rise began long before that 2025 victory. Her name first appeared on the radar in May 2022 when she made her Ladies European Tour debut at the Madrid Open, finishing a respectable tenth. She then enrolled at Florida State University, where she quickly amassed a string of accolades: WGCA Freshman of the Year, junior FSU Female Athlete of the Year, and ACC Golfer of the Year.
Her amateur résumé continued to swell in April 2024 when she captured the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, a triumph that propelled her to the No. 1 spot in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and earned her the Mark H. McCormack Medal – the first Englishwoman ever to receive the award as the world’s leading amateur. The following season she turned heads at the 2024 AIG Women’s Open, finishing tied for tenth as the leading amateur.
She then secured her first Ladies European Tour title at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, and narrowly missed making history as an amateur at the Amundi Evian Championship. Her momentum carried into 2025, when she not only repeated a top‑10 finish at the Women’s Open (eighth) but also posted a seventh‑place finish at the 2026 Chevron Championship. Two weeks before the current Scottish Open, she held the halfway lead at the Evian Championship before ultimately slipping to a tie for 16th.
These achievements have catapulted Woad to a remarkable fifth place in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings, and she added a second LPGA Tour win at the Kroger Queen City Championship in May 2026. "It’s definitely been a long year," she reflected.
"I’ve played a lot of golf, had a lot of new experiences. I’ve definitely learned some things as well in the year. It’s nice to come back to where I guess it all started, my pro debut here.
I’ve been happy with how I’ve been playing. At Evian, it wasn’t the weekend I wanted there, but I’m trying to take what I can from that, still playing good golf but also learning too." During her breakthrough Scottish Open win, Woad was paired with world No.
1 Nelly Korda. Sky Sports Golf’s Dame Laura Davies praised the young Englishwoman, saying, "She’s not afraid to compete against the biggest names in the game.
She has every part of her game, and her results already suggest she has all the qualities to become a rockstar of the future." Now, as she lines up for her title defence, Woad finds herself again alongside Korda and fellow English star Charley Hull for the opening two rounds at Dundonald Links. While the media may dub her a "rock star," Woad remains modest about the label. When asked about Korda, who has doubled her major tally this year with victories at the Chevron and the U.S. Women’s Open, Woad replied, "I think every event she’s at, she’s the person everybody is coming to see.
She’s No. 1 in the world. Last year I was playing with her and we got a really big crowd.
Playing with her again this year I expect it to be the same. I hope it goes the same as last year." The ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Golf from July 23‑26, with streaming options available without a contract.
Golf enthusiasts can also explore booking a round at any of the 1,700 courses across the UK and Ireland via Sky’s platform. As the tournament unfolds, all eyes will be on Woad to see whether she can replicate the magic of her debut and cement her status as one of the sport’s brightest new stars.