One up-and-coming golf star made a mighty impression after winning the Irish Open by six shots, but the 21-year-old is not allowed to take home the grand prize due to her amateur status
A golfing sensation who won a tournament by six strokes has been denied the £58,000 top prize due to her amateur status. English golfer Lottie Woad put on a masterclass to secure her first Ladies European Tour title, dominating the KPMG Women’s Irish Open for an easy win.
The 21-year-old made history as the first amateur player in three years to triumph on the Ladies European Tour, finishing on an impressive 21-under and only hitting four bogeys across the four rounds. However, she won’t see a penny of the prize money for her remarkable performance, with the top prize instead going to the runner-up.
This is because the LPGA prospect’s amateur status prohibits her from pocketing any winnings. If Woad held her tour card, she would’ve walked away five figures richer for her efforts.
Instead, Swedish star Madelene Sagstrom will be laughing all the way to the bank. Woad, currently the world’s top-ranked amateur player, made six birdies and two bogeys in the final round.
She broke 70 across all four rounds to become the first amateur player to win since Czech Jana Melichova clinched the 2022 Czech Ladies Open. She kicked off with an impressive round of 68 before delivering back-to-back rounds of 67.
Woad entered the final day with a seven-shot lead and showed no signs of letting it slip. She birdied two of her opening four holes and then offset a disappointing bogey on the fifth hole by nailing another birdie on the eighth.
It’s hardly the first time Woad has made headlines as an amateur. She won the 2022 Girls Amateur Championship, then followed that up with victory at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur last year.
Despite clinching victory with a six-shot lead, Woad remains unswayed by the prospect of turning professional: “No, I’m not tempted to turn pro yet. I’m still trying to get my final two points for the LPGA. I’m trying to get those and then we will see what happens after that. It means a lot to get the win.
“Obviously, I had a big lead coming into today, but I still had to really focus as I was being chased by some really good players. I’m happy to get it done. It’s perfect. I feel like I’m playing well, and I hope to continue that into [the] Evian [Championship] next week.
“It felt pretty comfortable overall. There were a few moments at the start of the back nine that could’ve gone wrong but I hung in there and finished with some nice birdies.”
She also detailed a key moment that aided her composure in the final round: “As soon as I birdied the second hole, holed a nice 12-footer there, it settled me in. I hit some good shots today, maybe didn’t hole as many putts as the other days, but it was pretty stress-free in the end.”
The Florida State University student is biding her time before hitting the big time. And it’s hard to argue with the logic considering she’s now starting to make an impression in LPGA circles.