Lottie Woad has started her professional golfing career in spectacular fashion, with a three-stroke victory at the Women's Scottish Open.
The English star made her professional debut this week after securing her LPGA Tour card following a T3 finish at the Evian Championship, which was won by Australian Grace Kim.
Woad also won the 2025 Women's Irish Open, but her amateur status meant she could not claim the prize money for either event, which adds up to $US603,100 ($917,714).
The Women's Scottish Open win means she starts her pro career with a cheque for more than $450,000, and will ensure she is in the media spotlight at the year's final major title, the Women's Open at Royal Porthcawl, this week.
She went into the final day at Dundonald Links with a two-shot lead, having been at the top of the leaderboard at the 36-hole and 54-hole marks.
The 21-year-old started strong, with back-to-back birdies on the second and third holes, before nine pars on the trot, but Woad then rolled in birdies on 13 and 14.
A third bogey of the week happened on 16 for the former world-number-one amateur, but she finished in style with a birdie on 18 to win with a score of 21 under par.
Woad became the first player to win on their professional debut on the Ladies European Tour (LET) since Singapore's Shannon Tan at the 2024 Magical Kenya Ladies Open and the first on the LPGA Tour since Rose Zhang at the 2023 Americas Open.
She also became the first English winner of the Women's Scottish Open since Trish Johnson back in 2014.
The two-time LET winner continued: "It's great to win here. Links golf is really fun, I don't get to play it too often. It's my first time since the Women's Open last year, so I wasn't sure how it would go.
Korea's Hyo Joo Kim finished in outright second place on 18 under par after a final round of 68 (4 under) at Dundonald Links.
The 2025 Korea Championship winner began the day with a birdie on the first before rolling in three birdies in a row on the fifth, sixth, and seventh, and she dropped a shot on the eighth.
However, back-to-back birdies on 10 and 11 put her level with England's Woad on 19 under par, and another birdie on 14 drew her level with the Englishwoman once again, but bogeys on 15 and 16 put an end to her title challenge.
Spain's Julia Lopez Ramirez equalled the round of the week with a 65 (7 under) on the final day to finish in a tie for third place alongside Korea's Sei Young Kim on 14 under par.
Lopez Ramirez had eight birdies and one bogey on her scorecard to secure one of the three spots for next week's Women's Open.
World number one Nelly Korda finished in solo fifth place on 13 under, with Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen in sixth on 11 under.
South Africa's Paula Reto clinched the second Women's Open spot with her seventh-place finish after a final round of 71 (2 under) in Scotland.
Australians Cassie Porter, Minjee Lee and Karis Davidson all finished with a four-round total of 5 under 283, to tie for 21st place.
China's Mary Liu secured the third spot in the final major tournament of the year after rounds of 76-67-68-70 to finish in outright 15th place.
Solheim Cup winner Gemma Dryburgh finished as leading Scot and was presented with the Jock MacVicar trophy at Dundonald Links.
Next up for the LET is the Women's Open which will take place at Royal Porthcawl between July 31 and August 3.
EBU/ABC
