AUGUSTA, Ga. — Lottie Woad joined an elite list of Augusta National Women’s Amateur champions on Saturday afternoon at Augusta National Golf Club, finishing birdie-birdie on one of golf’s most hallowed grounds to write her own chapter of history in Augusta, Ga.
She is now the fifth different ANWA winner, alongside Jennifer Kupcho, Tsubasa Kajitani, Anna Davis and Rose Zhang, and after a hard-fought battle late in the final round, the 20-year-old was relieved to end a demanding week competing against the world’s most talented amateurs at the top of the leaderboard.
“I knew teeing off, only having a two-shot lead, at some point during the round, someone was probably going to overtake me with it being scorable,” said Woad. “I looked at the pins before, and they were in some pretty nice locations, so I was prepared for someone to go low. When I ended up being two back, I was like, I've got these birdie chances that they have.
“Just gave myself the chances at the end and luckily holed some putts. I was hoping it was going to be a nice stress-free day, but it was far from that. In the end, it's a cooler way to finish.”
What’s also cool for Woad are the perks that come with being the Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion. The England native will be given exemptions into four of the LPGA Tour’s major championships, including The Chevron Championship, the U.S. Women’s Open, The Amundi Evian Championship and the AIG Women’s Open, the first of which is just over a week away, set to begin on April 18 at The Club at Carlton Woods just outside of Houston, Texas.
Unlike many of her ANWA counterparts, Woad has yet to tee it up in an LPGA Tour event, something that's a bit uncommon for such a strong amateur player. So, while she is incredibly proud to have won in spectacular fashion at Augusta National Golf Club, Woad is just as much looking forward to the opportunities she’ll have to compete alongside the best players in the world on the biggest stage in women’s golf this spring and summer.
“I was trying to not think about what came with it when I was playing, but now, looking back on it, it's pretty cool what I'm going to be able to play in this summer, and it was one of the goals this year,” said Woad. “But it's so hard to win a golf tournament. So, I just keep trying to put myself in the right places. Got one over the line here. I'm just really happy.”
Woad will have until Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET to decide if she will enter The Chevron Championship, and if she does choose to play, Woad will have won at Augusta National Golf Club and played in her first major championship in a span of just 12 days by the time she tees it up on Thursday in The Woodlands, Texas.
And with aspirations to one day be traipsing the fairways right alongside the LPGA Tour’s greatest stars, Woad will carefully weigh her options in the coming days as she makes her decision, grateful to even be in this position with an opportunity to choose.
“It's what I want to do. I want to be a professional and to be playing in these events,” said Woad. “To get this experience so early on is going to be great for me. I haven't played in a major before. I think I've played in a couple of pro events but never an LPGA event. So, this is going to be really exciting for me."
Congrats to @LottieWoad 👏👏
— LPGA (@LPGA) April 6, 2024
We’ll see you at @Chevron_Golf! https://t.co/Hi0Vp8p8MS
)
)
)
)
