In 2023, Rose Zhang became the first LPGA player to win in their professional debut since Beverly Hanson at the 1951 Eastern Open.
Zhang’s and Hanson’s feat, however, wouldn’t stand alone for another half-decade.
Lottie Woad, a 21-year-old Englishwoman, followed suit just two years later, winning the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open on Sunday in her first start as a pro.
And Woad was seemingly never fazed. Perhaps that’s why she is golf’s next big thing.
Against a loaded field at Dundonald Links, Woad cruised to a three-stroke victory over Hyo Joo Kim, finishing at 4 under with a 68 in the final round. World No. 1 Nelly Korda, meanwhile, finished fifth at 13 under.
“It might have looked less stressful than maybe it was at times,” Woad, who collected $300,000 with the win, said afterward, “but I think I only had like three bogeys, which, I mean, the wind wasn’t too bad the first few days. But on links golf, it’s definitely about bogey avoidance. That was probably the key to winning.”
A former Florida State Seminole who is forgoing her senior year to embark on a professional career, Woad began the final round of the Scottish Open with a two-stroke advantage. But despite two birdies in her first three holes, Kim caught Woad’s lead with seven birdies in 14 holes.
The putt that made @LottieWoad an LPGA Tour champion 🏆 pic.twitter.com/x4P3rJLA1H
— LPGA (@LPGA) July 27, 2025
Woad, however, reclaimed the solo lead with birdies on Nos. 13 and 14. Then, things got a little precarious with a bogey on the par-4 16th, dropping her lead to two. There was no reason to sweat, though. She stuffed her approach on the following hole to make par and then, on the closing par-5, laid up but still capped her historic week with a birdie by hitting her third shot to 2 feet.
“I didn’t really know the score most of the back nine,” Woad said. “There wasn’t really any scoreboards, to be honest. Only knew on 18 or 17, I saw that I had two shots. Kind of assumed she would birdie 18, but then found out she didn’t. Only had like 170, but just laid up and then pitched on.”
Woad isn’t a stranger to overcoming pressure. Earlier this month, as an amateur, she beat out a strong field at the Ladies European Tour’s Women’s Irish Open, winning by six strokes. Then, the following week, she earned her LPGA card by finishing third at the Amundi Evian Championship, one of five majors in women’s golf.
Until her triumph in Scotland, Woad’s most notable win was the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. And that victory prepared her for the improbable run she’s had this month.
“Probably a bit less (nerves than the ANWA) to be honest,” she said. “I think Augusta, that was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this.”
Now, the focus shifts to next week’s AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl—and Woad is already considered one of the favorites. Last year at St. Andrews, she claimed low-amateur honors.
The moment never seems too big for Woad, which makes her a threat every time she tees it up. She never gets too high, or too low. She just takes it one shot at a time.
That’s why a star is born.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as A Star is Born: Lottie Woad, 21, Becomes Third LPGA Player To Win in Pro Debut .
