English star becomes just the third player ever to win on her professional debut on the LPGA Tour
Lottie Woad began her professional golf career in the rarest of ways—by winning. The 21-year-old from England claimed a three-shot victory at the 2025 ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open, becoming only the third player in LPGA history to triumph on her professional debut.
Her performance at Dundonald Links marked a moment of sporting history, placing her alongside legends Beverly Hanson (1951) and Rose Zhang (2023) as the only women to achieve such a feat. For Woad, it was not just a breakthrough but a validation of years of promise as one of the most heralded amateurs in the game.
“It’s very special to win in my first LPGA event,” Woad said after closing with a final-round 68 to finish at 21-under-par. “Everyone was chasing me today, but I managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch. I hit a lot of good shots, which is nice.”
A Commanding Finish on Debut
Woad entered the final day with a two-shot cushion and built momentum early with back-to-back birdies at the second and third holes. A run of steady pars followed, before she added birdies at the 13th and 14th to put daylight between herself and her nearest challenger, Hyo Joo Kim. A lone bogey on the 16th didn’t rattle her. Instead, she calmly birdied the 18th to cap a composed and clinical debut.
“There weren’t that many scoreboards out there, so I didn’t know anyone had got level,” she explained. “But when I had the two birdies early on the back nine, I knew that I might have a lead. It was pretty nice in the end, as I could lay up on the par-5 18th. I hit an 80-yard lay-up, so I felt confident coming down there.”
The Scottish Open wasn’t just her first professional start; it was her first time earning prize money after a stellar amateur run. Only a week earlier, she had finished third at the Amundi Evian Championship, securing her LPGA card via the Tour’s Elite Amateur pathway. Prior to that, she had won the KPMG Women’s Irish Open as an amateur—another title she couldn’t collect prize money for.
A Seamless Shift from Amateur Stardom
Woad’s transition from amateur to professional has been nothing short of seamless. A former World No. 1 amateur and the 2024 winner of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, she also made history last year as the first English woman to receive the Mark H. McCormack Medal. Her college career at Florida State University, where she helped lead the Seminoles to multiple titles, was a clear sign of her readiness to compete at the next level.
“This is a pretty good outcome—I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event,” she admitted. “But I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend. Even if I hadn’t won this week, I’d still be trying to win next week. Just trying to be up there is all you can ask for going into the final day.”
With her parents making the trip to Scotland to witness her debut, Woad said having family present made the win even more meaningful. “My dad was here all week, and my mum got the train up last night, so I was hoping that I wouldn’t mess it up.”
The win also marked the first time an Englishwoman has lifted the Women’s Scottish Open trophy since Trish Johnson in 2014. More than that, it served as a reminder of Woad’s adaptability and mental strength. She hadn’t played links golf since the previous year’s AIG Women’s Open, but managed the changing wind conditions at Dundonald with maturity beyond her years.
“Links golf is really fun. It was a nice challenge, and everyone here has been so kind,” she said. “The course played differently every day with the wind directions, but it was in great condition.”
The final round wasn’t without drama. South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim made a serious charge, drawing level with Woad twice on the back nine before bogeys at the 15th and 16th left her three back. Spain’s Julia Lopez Ramirez fired a 65 to tie for third with Sei Young Kim, while world No. 1 Nelly Korda finished fifth.
Next up for Woad is the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl. While she heads into her second professional start as one of the most talked-about players in the field, her measured approach and calm confidence suggest she’s not getting carried away.
“I’m just going to keep trying to put myself in good positions. Winning’s great, but it’s about staying in contention and learning every week,” she said. “This is only the beginning.”
