Lottie Woad admits it’s a different experience heading into the Augusta National Women’s Amateur as defending champion, a year on from her dramatic victory at the home of The Masters.
The Englishwoman came back from two behind with five holes to play to snatch a remarkable victory in the 2024 contest, with three birdies in her last four holes seeing her finish one ahead of Bailey Shoemaker.
Woad took advantage of the par-five 15th and birdied the par-four 17th to pull level with Shoemaker, who had set the clubhouse target with a bogey-free 66, before holing a long putt to birdie the last and become the first European winner in the tournament’s history.
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Lottie Woad reflects on her journey to becoming the first Englishwoman to win the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and her rise to world amateur No 1
The 21-year-old is among the favourites for her title defence, starting on Wednesday and live on Sky Sports, with two rounds played at Champions Retreat Golf Club before the leading 30 players and ties progress to Saturday’s final round at Augusta National.
“It’s definitely different compared to last year,” Woad told the Sky Sports Golf podcast. “I’ve had a lot more media stuff and stuff like that, that I didn’t have to do last year, so just getting my head around that a little bit.
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“I think last year I learned a lot about that, as I hadn’t really been exposed to it. I’m making sure I’m leaving time for everything I need to do for the week to be prepared.
“It feels great to be back. This is probably our favourite event of the year, and it’s always such a joy to play both courses. Feeling good about my game and I’m excited to get going.”
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Sky Sports Golf’s Sarah Stirk and Mark Roe look at Lottie Woad’s final round at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur
When asked how much she has watched back that career-changing win, Woad added: “Honestly, not that much actually, but I’ve seen the 18th part quite a lot, I will admit that!
“Obviously, I didn’t think I’d get an opportunity to play Augusta, let alone hole a putt to win a tournament there. There were so many people there. I honestly can’t quite remember the moment it went in, but I just know it was very loud!
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Lottie Woad’s local golf club celebrated her being the first British player to win the Augusta National Women’s Amateur
“I think just coming from behind and knowing that I’m not really out of it, definitely gave me a lot of belief and confidence in my game. It kind of set me up for the rest of the year really.”
Another big year ahead for Woad?
Woad’s win earned her invites into four of the five majors last year, with the Florida State University student posting a top-25 at the Chevron Championship the week after her victory before finishing as leading amateur at the AIG Women’s Open thanks to a top-10 at St Andrews.
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Lottie Woad holed out for eagle on the last hole of her third round at the AIG Women’s Open, where she registered a top-10 finish
“I’m not looking to really compare [to last year] and I’m just trying to push on really,” Woad insisted. “Obviously last year was amazing, and set me up
“Got some great opportunities this year to again play some iconic courses, so just really looking forward to that. I’m already in the US Open and The Open this year, so I’m just looking forward to playing in some more majors as well.”
Lottie Woad returns as defending champion at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur
Woad said after last year’s victory that she wasn’t in any rush to turn professional, with the world women’s amateur No 1 still sticking with that mentality heading into the major season.
“I’m just not looking to think about it [turning professional] really right now,” she admitted. “I’m just trying to focus on this week and then I’ve got the rest of the college season with FSU.
“I’m just looking to kind of focus on the present and just playing good golf really, as that will put me in good stead. I’ve been playing well at college and our team’s been doing great, so a lot of momentum going into this week.”
Listen to the full Lottie Woad interview on the latest edition of the Sky Sports Golf podcast, hosted every week by Jamie Weir. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Spreaker, while vodcast editions can be found on the Sky Sports Golf YouTube channel.
Who else is playing in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur?
The 2025 championship will feature 49 of the top-50 players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and three past champions, as Woad is joined by 2021 winner Tsubasa Kajitani and 2022 winner Anna Davis.
There will be 33 players making their debut and 39 returning competitors, with England’s Patience Rhodes, Scotland’s Hannah Darling and Ireland’s Beth Coulter among the European interest in the field.
Woad’s Florida State teammate Mirabel Ting is among the favourites, after registering five collegiate wins in six starts this season, with world amateur No 2 Jasmine Koo also expected to impress.
Who will win the Augusta National Women’s Amateur? Watch live throughout the week on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Wednesday from 6.30pm on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
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