Leona Maguire closed with back-to-back under-par rounds to share 33rd place at the LPGA’s Kroger Queen City Championship, but it was England’s Lottie Woad who was crowned champion.
The Cavan woman opened with a pair of 71s to make the cut on the number, then shot matching 69s over the weekend to work her way halfway up the leaderboard.
On a testing golf course and in testing conditions, she found seven of 14 fairways on the final day, hit 11 of 18 greens and took 28 putts with birdies coming on the fourth, seventh and 11th holes, and bogeys on six and 10.
Coming into the week on the back of three successive missed cuts, it was a significant improvement and she has a week off before the ShopRite LPGA in New Jersey.
England’s Lottie Woad, winner of the 2025 KPMG Women’s Irish Open as an amateur before turning professional and winning again at the Women’s Scottish Open, is now a two-time LPGA Tour winner after she held off Haeran Ryu on a gusty Sunday afternoon at Maketewah Country Club.
Three strokes ahead of playing partner Amanda Doherty and four ahead of Ryu entering the round, Woad closed with a one-under 69 for a 12-under tally and a two-stroke victory.
“I just played pretty good tee-to-green,” Woad said. “I hit a lot greens, hit a lot of fairways. And it’s pretty windy out there, so I think that was the key, obviously, to having the lead.”
The wind was a big challenge on the first-year venue that features par-3 closing holes on each nine.
“It was definitely up there with the strongest of the days and was kind of flickering around a bit,” Woad said. “It was a cross-wind most holes, but kind of flipped between into and down. So, trying to judge the yardages into some smaller greens was definitely tricky.”
Ryu had a double bogey on the par-4 13th in a 67. She played the front nine in -5.
“Amazing front nine. I’m so happy,” Ryu said. “But I have a little mistake on the back nine.”
Nelly Korda shot a 67 to tie for eighth at 5 under after winning in her previous two starts. She began the day nine strokes back after a third-round 72.
“This one is definitely, I think, is a little sweeter than the first win because I wasn’t really expecting that,” Woad said. “This one, I’ve seen how good everyone is out there, so it’s good to win again.”
Woad made a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-4 17th to open a two-stroke lead, with Ryu parring the par-3 18th soon after in the group ahead to post at 10-under.
“Not an easy putt from where I was above the hole with a lot of break, and had a little pace going in, so pretty glad I hit the hole,” Woad said. “Gave me a two-shot cushion on a par 3, so pretty happy with that.”
Woad overcame a double bogey on the par-4 sixth. The former Florida State star birdied the seventh, parred the next five and dropped a stroke on the par-4 13th. After three more pars, she got the long birdie try to fall on 17.
“I generally played pretty well,” Woad said. “Obviously, double, not really sure what happened there. Just kind of happened pretty quickly there. The rest I hit a lot of fairways, greens pretty stress-free.”
Miyu Yamashita has third at 9 under after a 64. Ruoning Yin (66) was 8 under, and Doherty (71) and Jin Young Ko (65) were 7 under. Jeeno Thitikul, the winner last week in New Jersey, was another shot back after a 69.
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