World No.1 Amateur Lottie Woad Claims Smyth Salver At AIG Women’s Open
Woad finished one-under for the tournament to join an impressive list of winners of the Smyth Salver
Lottie Woad has won the Smyth Salver as low amateur at the AIG Women’s Open, where she finished on a highly impressive one-under for the tournament.
Woad began the event as one of five Amateurs, having earned her place at the Major thanks to victory at the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur and as the recipient of the Mark H McCormack Medal.
In the end, only one amateur, Chun Wei-Wu, missed the cut, but while Argentinian Ela Anacona finished T78, Swede Louise Rydqvist finished T60 and Spaniard Julia Lopez Ramirez finished T29, the English player excelled in a week of challenging conditions at the Old Course, St Andrews.
In fact, Woad was so impressive that she finished T10, after following up efforts of 72, 70 and 72 over the first three days with a final round of 73. When she completed her round, that left her just five shots behind the three leaders at the time, Jiyai Shin, Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko, while she finished four shots better off than her nearest rival for the Smyth Salver, Lopez Ramirez.
The achievement is the latest in a hugely successful year for Woad. As well as victory at the prestigious Augusta National tournament in April, the Florida State University player finished T23 at the first Major of the year, the Chevron Championship, before going on to play in the US Women’s Open and Amundi Evian Championship. Woad is also currently the top-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
Afterwards, Woad reflected on her success so far this year, and admitted it had boosted her confidence. She said: "Yeah, yes, definitely. It's been really great for me confidence-wise. Getting to play in all these events, as well, and playing well in a few of them has definitely given me a lot of confidence going into my next year of college."
On her AIG Women's Open final round, she said: "It was good. I knew what I had to do the last few holes. Definitely played quite tough. So it was a little bit of a grind, but you know, got it done in the end."
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
Woad follows a long list of former Smyth Salver recipients who have gone on to forge glittering professional careers including Michelle Wie West, Anna Nordqvist, Danielle Kang, Lydia Ko and Georgia Hall. She is also the second successive English player to claim the salver after Charlotte Heath finished T61 in 2023.
Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.
He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.
Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.
Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.
-
Will Maja Stark's New Putter Spark Solheim Cup Success?
Maja Stark will mark her second Solheim Cup appearance for team Europe using a new Ping putter. Here are all the details...
By Alison Root Published
-
Why Leona Maguire's Three Fairway Woods Could Power Her To Solheim Cup Glory
Ireland's Leona Maguire relies on her fairway woods for success. Here's the inside story on the clubs in her bag...
By Alison Root Published
-
Solheim Cup Pairings: Surprises And Takeaways From Friday Foursomes Match-Ups
We take a closer look at the opening four matches in the 2024 Solheim Cup
By Elliott Heath Published
-
Solheim Cup Day 1 Pairings And Matches Revealed
Stacy Lewis and Suzann Pettersen have announced their line-ups for the foursomes session on day one of the 2024 Solheim Cup
By Joel Kulasingham Last updated
-
How To Get Solheim Cup Tickets
Everything you need to know about how to purchase tickets for the 2024 Solheim Cup at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia
By Joel Kulasingham Published
-
'The Biggest Con' - Stacy Lewis Reiterates Ryder Cup Missed Opportunity And Calls For Mixed Presidents Cup
The United States captain once again lamented the missed opportunity for more crossover between the Solheim and Ryder Cups last year
By Joel Kulasingham Published
-
The $350,000 Richard Mille Watch Nelly Korda Is Wearing At The Solheim Cup
Nelly Korda is one of the biggest names in golf and, at the 19th staging of the Solheim Cup, the World No.1 has been seen wearing an eye-catching time piece
By Matt Cradock Published
-
Future Solheim Cup Captains - We Predict Who Could Captain Team USA And Europe Next
We take a look at who could captain both the US and European sides going into the 2026 and 2028 Solheim Cups
By Matt Cradock Published
-
How Much Money Nelly Korda Has Won In 2024
The World No.1 has won six LPGA Tour titles this year - so how much has she earned?
By Elliott Heath Published
-
Stacy Lewis Plays Down ‘Bad Beef’ Over Solheim Cup Housing Controversy
The US Solheim Cup captain has claimed that there is no drama between the two sides, despite some reports claiming that the Americans weren't happy about the use of the driving range bays at the European team's house
By Matt Cradock Published