Lottie Woad doesn’t remember exactly what she was doing on July 1. “Probably just practicing”, she guesses when asked thursday after the first round of the AIG Women’s British Open at Royal Porthcawl.
Thirty days ago, on July 1, Woad was still an amateur, a rising senior at Florida State University. At the AIG Women’s Briths Open, she’s a professional, a member of the LPGA, winner of two professional tournaments and the betting favorite to win the last major of the season.
Her career started accelerating on July 6, when she won the KPMG Women’s Irish Open as an amateur on the Ladies European Tour. She was the No. 1 amateur in the world, but still an amateur. On July 10, she played in the first round of the Amundi Evian Championship. Still an amateur, she finished T-3 and was the leader in the clubhouse for a bit. That finish was worth two points in the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway program (LEAP), where amateur golfers earn points for awards and top finishes in elite amateur events and their performances in professional tournaments. Woad only needed two more points to secure her card, which she did. Two days later she accepted tour membership and joined the LPGA.
On July 24, Woad teed it up as a professional for the first time. She shot 67-65-67-68 at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open to win her professional debut, something that had only be done twice before.
“I don’t think you can predict to win two of them,” Woad said when looking back on July. “That was definitely great.”
This week, at the Women’s British Open at Royal Porthcawl, Woad was the betting favorite. What a month for the 21-year-old from England.
Is anyone surprised? Lottie Woad sinks another birdie 🐥pic.twitter.com/OnhTPxke1F
— LPGA (@LPGA) July 31, 2025
Woad shot an even-par 72 in the opening round, five shots behind the leaders.
When asked if she was satisfied with the round, she didn’t sugarcoat it: “Not really, but it’s one of those rounds that could have definitely away from me,” Woad said. “I am happy how I hung in there and got a decent round together.”
She hit eight fairways and missed seven greens—all things considered, 72 was a good score.
Woad is still adjusting to the spotlight. Though the buzz from her win at the Scottish Open didn’t get in the way of her prep for the Women’s British, she did admit that there’s been more attention on her this week than ever before.
“Definitely more attention, but just trying to ignore it as much as possible,” Woad said. “Definitely a bit new.”
It’s been a wild month, and she’s still playing golf, but she’s now a long, long way from quietly practicing alone at home in England.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
