Lottie Woad: A new star in women’s golf

By Neville Idour

Charlotte Woad, born January 17, 2004, in Surrey, England, has seemingly burst on to the women’s golf scene out of the blue with two tour wins on the biggest stages.

However, on closer examination her amateur career gave every indication that anything was possible. In fact, she brings back memories of Lydia Ko’s explosion on to the world scene.

Since venturing onto the professional scene in July, Woad's impact has been dramatic.

First up was the Irish Open while still an amateur. She blitzed a classy field finishing 21 under par six shots clear of Madelene Sagstrom. It was the first win by an amateur on the Ladies' European Tour since 2022.

Next up she played in the Evian Championship in France, one of five major championships in women’s golf. She finished third, just one stroke behind the winner. This was her best finish of the seven majors she has played after her previous best at the 2024 British Open where she finished 10th.

ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open 2025 - Final Round
TROON, SCOTLAND - JULY 27: Lottie Woad of England poses with the trophy following victory of the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open following the final round of the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open 2025 at Dundonald Links Golf Course on July 27, 2025 in Troon, Scotland. (Photo by Paul Devlin/Getty Images)

At this point it was not a case of if but when to go professional. She wasted no time and did so for her next event the Scottish Open on July 27. Another stellar performance with rounds of 67, 65, 67 and 68 and again 21 under par saw her a comfortable winner by three shots from Kim Hyo-joo.

It was all the more impressive in that the 21-year-old played with world number one Nelly Korda for the first two rounds. Korda was most impressed with Woad’s maturity after being up staged.

“Absolutely amazing,” said Korda. “I was very impressed with her composure, her process and shot routine, especially when under pressure in the heat of the moment. She’s put a ton of hours in as everyone out here has, but her putting is solid and she hits pretty far off the tee.”

So on to the Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales where she was pre-tournament favourite and was in the marquee grouping for the first two rounds with defending champion Lydia Ko and 2023 winner Lilia Vu. She again put in a strong performance to finish eighth.

Her golfing story began at the age of three, yes that is not a misprint -- three years of age when her grandfather gave her a first set of golf clubs. She also played soccer as a child for Southampton Football Club’s Centre of Excellence. She was an excellent student recording A grades in every one of her nine subjects at high school.

She won the Welsh Women’s Open Strokeplay Championship and the prestigious Critchley Salver at Sunningdale Golf Club in 2021 when just 17 years old. In 2022 she won the Girls' Amateur Championship at Carnoustie in Scotland. She enrolled at Florida State University that year and majored in sports' management.

Her biggest amateur win of nine came at the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur where she birdied her last four holes for a one shot victory. Following this she gained the world number one amateur ranking. She finished 23rd in her major championship debut at the 2024 Chevron Championship, qualifying for four of the five majors that year. In a big year she also qualified for the Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup team.

Other notable wins as an amateur include the 2019 Surrey Ladies' County Championship as a 15 year old, the 2022 Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters and the 2023 Florida State Matchup. She won several other accolades in her time at university. She has also built an impressive record in international girls' and women’s team events, representing England, Europe, Great Britain and Ireland and an international team in the Arnold Palmer Cup which they won in 2025. She was in winning teams seven times.

Reacting to Korda’s praise, Woad said: “It was great to play with her on my pro debut. I have always looked up to her. She is obviously an amazing player and a great competitor and to hear she said something like that is really nice.”

Woad has long been tipped for stardom since her Augusta win in 2024 and is certainly playing well enough to fulfill those predictions. She is a more than welcome injection of personality on the women's scene and it will be fascinating to watch her career unfold. Her world professional ranking is already number 18.