English amateur Lottie Woad delivered a composed and commanding performance to secure her first Ladies European Tour title with a six-shot victory at the Women’s Irish Open, finishing with a four-under-par 69 in the final round.
Despite her win, Woad will not receive the €67,500 (£58,000) winner’s cheque due to her amateur status. The prize money instead goes to Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom, a four-time Solheim Cup player, who finished second with a closing 68.
Woad, currently the world’s top-ranked amateur, surged ahead in gusty conditions on Friday, widened her lead to seven strokes by Saturday, and sealed her win at Carton House with six birdies and two bogeys on Sunday.
The 21-year-old broke 70 in all four rounds and becomes the first amateur to win on the LET since Jana Melichova triumphed at the 2022 Czech Ladies Open.
Already the winner of the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, Woad impressed throughout the week in County Kildare, carding just three bogeys across 72 holes.
“It felt pretty comfortable overall,” Woad said after the win. “There were a few moments early on the back nine that could’ve gone wrong, but I hung in there and finished strong with a couple of nice birdies.
Birdieing the second with a 12-footer settled me in, and although I didn’t hole quite as many putts as earlier in the week, it was pretty stress-free in the end.”
England’s Charley Hull, ranked 19th in the world, finished fourth with a final-round 69, while Irish player Anna Foster (72) was the best of the home contingent in a tie for 12th at eight under.
Canice Screene shot a flawless 66—tied for the lowest round of the day—to climb inside the top 40.
Woad opened Sunday with two birdies in her first four holes, dropped a shot at the fifth, but quickly regained ground with birdies at the eighth and 13th.
After a bogey on the 15th, she closed with back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17 and a steady par at the last to finish at 271.
“It definitely means a lot,” she said. “I knew I had a big lead, but I still had to stay focused. There were some great players behind me, so I’m really proud to have finished it off.”
Florida State University’s Woad now turns her attention to next week’s Evian Championship, where she’ll continue her impressive rise on the global stage.
Elsewhere, England’s Hannah Screen shot a 67 to finish tied fifth, while Ireland’s Leona Maguire ended a frustrating week with a final-round 75, leaving her in a tie for 48th.
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