Nothing is quite as sweet as returning to the course you won your first title. And this year’s ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open will be as sweet as the gummy bears Lottie Woad so famously loves.

She’s making her return to Dundonald Links, the place where she made her professional debut and claimed her first title as an LPGA Tour member. As she looks to defend that title, we look back at her amateur career and her first 12 months on tour.

Lottie Woad The young Brit broke onto the scene playing amateur and collegiate golf, and her trajectory has been upward ever since. In the summer of 2022, she won the R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship at Carnoustie and the British Girls’ Amateur Championship before making her way to the United States to play golf at Florida State University.

Woad came out of the gates swinging, winning the Ivy Intercollegiate in the fall of 2022. With a win in just her third start with the Seminoles, she launched into a standout career at Florida State. She went on to claim four more individual titles: the 2023 Florida State Match Up, 2023 ANNIKA Intercollegiate, 2024 Landfall Tradition and 2025 Moon Invitational, along with more than 25 additional top-10 finishes.

She was the 2023 ACC and WGCA Freshman of the year, three-time WGCA All-American First Team, three-time All ACC, a two-time Golfweek All-American First Team member, and the 2024 FSU Female Athlete of the Year. She was ranked No. 1 for 55 weeks in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) and earned the Mark H. McCormack Medal in 2024. She earned a myriad of other honors and academic awards throughout her amateur career.

During her time at FSU, she also won the 2023 Patsy Hankins Trophy, 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, 2025 Arnold Palmer Cup, 2025 Vagliano Trophy and the 2025 Women’s Irish Open.

That was just the start. The Farnham, England native then made LPGA history as the first player to earn membership through the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway (LEAP) program. She earned her 20 points across a variety of amateur and professional tournaments: two Arnold Palmer Cups, one Curtis Cup, four majors and her win at the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Holding the No. 1 spot in the WAGR and winning the Mark H. McCormack Medal accounted for a quarter of the points needed. Her tie for third finish at the 2025 Amundi Evian Championship capped off her 20 points and secured her membership on the LPGA Tour.

Lottie Woad Woad accepted membership immediately and made her first start at the very next event, the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open. She wrapped the opening round of her LPGA Tour member debut just one shot behind the lead with a five-under-par 67. A bogey-free 7-under-par 65 on Friday saw her take the lead by two strokes heading into her first weekend as a professional. Another 67 on Saturday allowed her to maintain the two-stroke lead with one round to play.

Sunday saw Woad put up a 68, closing with a birdie on No. 18 to take home the title. Cap off a seemingly unflappable first performance; she won by three strokes over runners-up Nelly Korda and Hyo Joo Kim.

At just 21 years old, Woad could call herself an LPGA tour member and champion. She put up one of the most remarkable first showings in recent LPGA history, becoming just the second player in the last three years to win in their professional debut. The last player to do so was Rose Zhang at the inaugural Mizuho Americas Open in 2023.

Since that incredible opening week, Woad has recorded eight other top-10 finishes, including a second win which came at the 2026 Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G and a playoff loss at the 2026 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give.

Lottie Woad Now a full year into her career on the LPGA Tour, Woad is reflecting on her achievements and what it feels like to step out at Dundonald Links for the first time since hoisting the trophy in 2025. While she holds many fond memories of that week, she didn’t realize at the time just how impressive her triumph really was.

“I didn't appreciate at the time, obviously being my first event, I didn't know what to expect.”

But now she’s a seasoned professional who knows what to expect. Woad is finally soaking in those first 12 months on Tour, including the two wins and all the things she’s learned in such a short amount of time.

“It's definitely been a long year. Played a lot of golf. A lot of new experiences. Yeah, it's nice to come back to where I guess it all started, my pro debut here.”

While there have been many new experiences for her, this week will look a little familiar. She’s paired with Nelly Korda and Charley Hull, the same group she started with in 2025.

When asked about that she said, “I hope it goes same as last year.”

Lottie Woad and the Road to Success

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