The next big star in women’s golf is currently an amateur. However, Lottie Woad of Farnham, England will not be an amateur for long.
Over the last two weeks, Woad, a Florida State student, has proven herself as a formidable golfer who is ready to turn professional. She can definitely compete against the top stars in women’s golf at the moment.
A week ago, Woad won the European Ladies’s Tour Irish Open by posting a winning score of -21. Then this past weekend, Woad finished third by posting a third place score of -13. However, due to the fact Woad is only an amateur, she could not collect any winnings. As a result, Woad did not win the €67,500 for winning the Irish Open, and the $260,000 for placing third at the fourth women’s major of the year. The bottom line is not collecting an opportunity to win approximately $380,000 must sting quite a bit, and it is no surprise that by the time the fifth and final major takes place in Wales at the end of the month, Woad will be a professional. She also qualified for the LPGA Tour by finishing in the top 25 at the Evian.
While Woad was not able to collect any money this past weekend in France, the fact that she was not eligible to win a Porsche if she recorded a hole-in-one on the 16th hole at Evian, was beyond absurd, and those in charge of the tournament stretched the amateur rules to an extreme. Woad is part of an exciting group of young golfers that includes Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand, and China’s Ruoning Yin.
