Lottie Woad Closes In on Title in Her Professional Tour Debut

Lottie Woad had four birdies in a six-hole stretch around the turn and posted a 5-under 67 on Saturday to maintain her two-shot lead in the Women's Scottish Open as she closes in on victory in her professional debut. Woad has such control of her game at Dundonald Links in Irvine that she went 33 consecutive holes without a bogey until dropping a shot on the 15th. Her lead was down to one shot, but the 21-year-old from England responded with a short wedge she played perfectly on the 17th, leaving her an 8-foot birdie putt she converted. A closing par put her at 17-under 199, the AP reports.

Woad, who won the Augusta National Women's Amateur in 2024 and rose to No. 1 in the women's amateur ranking that year, won the Irish Women's Open three weeks ago on the Ladies European Tour. Then she missed the playoff by one shot in the Evian Championship. But her tie for third in the LPGA major earned her a tour card, and she decided to skip her senior year at Florida State and turn pro. And now she has a chance to wrap up a championship in the final round Sunday. "Obviously, you can't control what people are doing," she said after Saturday's round, per Golfweek. "I'm just going to try and play well, and if I play well, I'll be happy tomorrow."