If you weren’t already aware that England’s Lottie Woad is a supreme up-and-coming talent in the women’s game, then her extremely impressive victory in the KPMG Women’s Irish Open at Carton House is all the evidence you need.
By obliterating the strongest field that’s assembled since the event’s revival in 2022, she proved that she’s not just ready to step into the pro ranks, she’s ready to enter and become one of the leading contenders week-to-week.
But despite securing her playing rights on the European circuit, the LPGA Tour is where she wants to be. It’s where all of the top female players want to be, because that’s where the money is. And she’s on the cusp of securing her playing rights there as well.
For 2025, the LPGA introduced a new pathway to fast track the top amateurs straight into the top flight. The LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway (LEAP) sees amateurs who amass a minimum of 20 points within a set criteria over four years earn full LPGA status. At present, Woad has 18 points and should she make the cut at both this week’s Evian Championship and the AIG Women’s Open at the end of the month, she’d reach the 20 mark.
Alternatively, a top 25 finish in either would also suffice. That failing, she will earn four more regardless if she earns the McCormack Medal as the top amateur in the world in August when the amateur season ends. So, it’s more a case of when, not if.
But having completed three years at Florida State University, she’s just a year from graduating with a Sports Management Degree, and she could defer her LPGA status until after she completes her education.
But it’s a no brainer, really. You have to strike while the iron’s hot, make hay while the sun shines, seize the day…
All the evidence points to the 21-year-old being an even better player in a year’s time, and seeing steady progression thereafter, but there are no guarantees of that. Sport is fickle, and women’s golf is more fickle than most.
In the last decade alone, 12 different women have held the top spot in the world rankings, and the average age at which they ascended to the top spot is 23. Everybody is different – Shanshan Feng was a quarter into her 29th year, Lydia Ko was three months shy of her 18th birthday – but there is no guarantee that Woad will be operating at a higher level than she is now in five- or six-year’s time.
Professional golfers need to make a living from the sport, both on the course and off it, and Woad’s current status and profile make her a hot commodity. The off-course sponsorship and endorsement contracts on offer will be generous, meaning that she can afford to chase titles rather than prizemoney, though the latter naturally follows the former.
Hunger is a great sauce, but she’s already proven that she doesn’t need financial incentives to practise, to play, and to win.
She’s taken the amateur game by storm, won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, played in winning Arnold Palmer Cup and Curtis Cup teams, and been at the top of the world amateur rankings for a year and counting. She’s got nothing else to prove.
Rose Zhang returned to Stanford earlier this year to complete the final year of her degree and did so as a multi-millionaire, so Woad could always follow suit down the line if she’s intent on getting her Sports Management qualifications.
But right now, it’s her golf clubs that are doing the talking. So let them speak.
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