A young fan attracted a lot of attention on the Old Course this week by holding up a sign with the words: “Shy kids don’t get candy.” The saying is one of the most popular. Charley Hull’s FavoritesHowever, with Hull having suffered a collapse in form over the weekend, it was 20-year-old amateur Lottie Woad in a tie for 10th who stole the award from her compatriots, ahead of Hull and Georgia Hall in ties for 20th and 22nd respectively.
Woad, from Farnham in Surrey, was beaming with joy as he was presented with the Smyth Salver outside the hallowed Royal and Ancient clubhouse. It was an elegant symmetry that the former Justin Rose Telegraph Junior winner was the lowest amateur on the list. Lydia Ko, winner of the AIG Women’s Openas the New Zealander won the same award twice.
Woad has already enjoyed success at another of the world’s most iconic golf courses. The Florida State University student made history by becoming the first European to win the Augusta National Amateur last April.
It would appear that a combination of that win, the high level of U.S. women’s college golf and a summer spent practicing in windy conditions on links-type courses, which she referred to Thursday, helped her eclipse world No. 10 Hull, who held a one-shot lead after the first round.
Woad’s impressive result left her just six shots behind Ko and four shots clear of the players in second place, which included world number one Nelly Korda and last year’s winner Lilia Vu. After rounds of 72, 70 and 72 over the first three days, she shot a final score of 73.
In addition to her Augusta win, Woad is currently the highest-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and finished tied for 23rd at the first women’s major of the year, the Chevron Championship, before playing in the US Women’s Open and the Evian Championship. These accolades proved she had the ability to compete with the best in British golf at Hull and Hall.
After his round, Woad reflected on his breakthrough year and explained the confidence his win at Augusta gave him. He said: “It’s been really great for me confidence-wise.
“Being able to participate in all of these events and perform well in some of them has definitely given me a lot of confidence for my upcoming year of college.”
His round on Sunday did not have a spectacular moment like Saturday with his eagle on the 18th. Modestly, when asked about the round, he replied: “It was okay. I knew what I had to do on the last few holes. It was definitely quite difficult. So it was a little bit tiring, but in the end I managed it.”
Despite not being paid, Woad has been doing well off the course, having signed with Excel Sports Management earlier this month, which represents the likes of Rose, Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas.