Lottie Woad kicked off the final week of competition ahead of next month’s Solheim Cup with an impressive four‑under‑par opening round at the LPGA Tour's FM Championship. The English golfer, a key member of Anna Nordqvist’s twelve‑player European squad bound for the Netherlands event scheduled for September 11‑13 and broadcast live on Sky Sports, posted a 68 at TPC Boston on Thursday, leaving her just four strokes behind the leader, South Korea’s Sei Young Kim. Since turning pro last year, Woad has already claimed two victories on the LPGA Tour, and she demonstrated why she belongs among the elite by carding all four of her birdies on the front nine, finishing that stretch in 32 strokes before playing even golf on the remaining holes. "I generally played a bit better on the front nine," she reflected.
"I hit pretty much every fairway. The rough is pretty thick out there, so you need to hit the fairways. I hit some pretty close shots on some holes and then did well on the par‑5s getting on greens, so just kind of had tap‑ins on the front nine." Woad admitted that a couple of tee shots on the back nine missed the fairway, turning what could have been birdie opportunities into pars. "Just a couple tee shots on the back nine that missed the fairway kind of made them par holes rather than birdie holes, so just try and clean up that tomorrow," she said, indicating she will look to tighten her accuracy in the next round.
The tournament’s early action also featured a dominant performance from Kim, who teed off on the 10th hole and rattled off six birdies and an eagle on the seventh par‑five, posting a low‑scoring 64. Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen and Japan’s Miyu Yamashita each finished at seven‑under, while South Korea’s Somi Lee was a shot behind at six‑under, giving the Korean contingent two spots inside the top four. Woad herself landed in an eight‑way tie for fifth place, a solid showing that positions her well for Solheim Cup selection.
Among Woad’s teammates, Charley Hull recorded a one‑under 71, and world‑number‑one Nelly Korda, who will lead Angela Stanford’s United States side, carded an even‑par 72. In a poignant moment, European captain Anna Nordqvist—who announced on Wednesday that she would retire from professional competition after this week—opened her final tour event with a two‑over‑par round, marking the end of a distinguished career. The Ladies European Tour also saw action on the same day, despite rain‑soaked conditions at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open. Casandra Alexander produced a spectacular start, firing a course‑record 63 to sit at nine‑under after the first round.
She achieved this by posting four birdies on the front nine and five more on the back, out‑shooting Italy’s Alessandra Fanali, who had set the early pace with a 67 at The K Club’s Palmer South Course. Alexander’s performance placed her at the top of the leaderboard, while England’s Lily May Humphreys, the Czech Republic’s Jana Melichova, and the Isle of Man’s Ana Dawson were tied for second with Fanali, all sitting at five‑under. Ireland’s own Leona Maguire opened with a respectable 71 (‑1), recording three birdies and two bogeys. The Irish Open and the FM Championship will continue to be broadcast live throughout the week on Sky Sports, with additional coverage on Sky Sports+ starting Friday at 2 p.m.
Viewers can also stream the events without a contract via NOW, taking advantage of the latest Sky Sports deals. Overall, Woad’s early round demonstrates both her skill and her readiness to contribute to Europe’s Solheim Cup ambitions.
Her front‑nine precision, combined with a clear plan to tighten up her back‑nine accuracy, suggests she could be a pivotal player when the European team faces the United States later this year. The FM Championship will provide a valuable testing ground, allowing her to gauge her form against a world‑class field and fine‑tune her game before the high‑stakes showdown in September.