It's Lottie Woad's World, And We're All Just Living in It

We should've known Lottie Woad was going to be something extraordinary from the moment she graced our screens.

Her presence isn't overtly commanding. In fact she the quieter type—not quiet—but someone who's methodical in her approach to golf.

I wasn't there for her win at the 2024 Augusta National Women's Amateur, but I was there for her top-3 performance in 2025, and her composure blew me out of the water. In a sea of elite talent, she still stood out.

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/Augusta National Golf Club

I just remember watching her warm up on the driving range at Champions Retreat awestruck of her ability to be consistent. It was just her and her swing coach going through what I assumed was her usual process, one ball at a time with him cueing her up for each swing. It was mesmerizing—mainly because the pure level of talent she possesses feels generational. She's poised, far beyond her 22 years, and it feels like she's done this golf thing before.

I wasn't quite old enough to live through and witness with my own eyes much of Annika Sorenstam's formidable career, but from the highlight reels and small encounters I've had with the golfing icon, I get a similar energy from Lottie. I think her talent and skill level are measurable to Sorenstam's in terms of accuracy, and her metal fortitude is one that I'm excited to see develop—though she's proven that she can handle the big moments pretty well.

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But how did she get here?

It may seem like prior to 2024, Lottie Woad was no where to be found, and that's partially true.

Born in Farnham, Surrey, England, less than 40 miles southwest of London, Woad had her very first golf lesson at the age of seven. Though there are some early pictures of her with a club in hand when she was even younger. The man who gave her, her first lesson, Luke Bone is still her swing coach. The same one I saw down in Augusta.

David Cannon/Getty Images/Augusta National Golf Club

She grew up watching English golf greats like Charley Hull, Georgia Hall, and Justin Rose—crediting them as inspiration. And as she grew up the ranks in English junior golf, Woad made the decision to play collegiately at the Florida State University.

She joined FSU in 2022, and her bio page is like if you could scroll through the phonebook, listing accolade after accolade. A few worth mentioning are her: ACC Freshman of the Year honors, WGCA Freshman of the Year (2023) honors, along with winning ACC Golfer of the Year in 2024. And what catapulted her to the limelight was reaching the No. 1 spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) after winning the 2024 Augusta National Women's Amateur.

In a video interview for England Golf, Woad said that playing in the U.S. in college was a decision she made to help her get ready for pro life. "Playing in the U.S. is perfect preparation for when you turn pro. Playing all these different courses, it's the closest we'll get to professional golf, [with] the amount of events we play, and the facilities." Like I said, the girl is methodical. Her decisions are led with intention, and have and will continue to play a key role into her success.

Woad playing lights-out golf in 2024 (which also included low amateur honors at the AIG Women's Open at St Andrews) helped her to secure her LPGA membership through a new pathway program introduced by the Tour last January.

The LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway or LEAP, is a program set to help provide top amateur female golfers with a new path to LPGA Tour Membership beyond earning eligibility through the Epson Tour and LPGA Qualifying (Q) School. Players who reach a 20-point threshold by achieving certain elite benchmarks will be able to activate up to a year and a half of exempt LPGA status.

Woad began the 2025 season with 16 LEAP points, and by the summer, she became the first player to achieve her pro status through the program last summer. It was her top-5 finish at the 2025 Amundi Evian Championship that sealed the deal for her and secured her final point.

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And she didn't hesitate to accept her membership status. She had the option to defer and become a 2026 rookie instead, but Woad decided to join the Tour and finish out the year as a professional golfer—because why wait?

Her decision to do so was quickly validated because just a couple of weeks later, the English golfer won the Women’s Scottish Open, becoming just the third woman in LPGA history to win her pro debut.

RELATED: Lottie Woad Won Her Pro Debut.

Like fellow phenom Rose Zhang, who also won the Augusta National Women's Amateur, as well as her professional debut—Lottie Woad cemented herself as a force on the LPGA Tour. Her elite style of play wasn't just beginner's luck, she's the real deal, and she's already knocking on the door of the top-10 in the Rolex World Rankings. In fact, with her latest win (the second of her career) at the Kroger Queen City Championship just outside of Cincinnati, isn't just encroaching on the top-10 bubble, she kicked the door in, moving to fifth in the world, with fellow countrywoman Charley Hull sitting at World No. 7.

The past two years have been crucial to establishing her name and likeness through her play, but 2026 has the potential to skyrocket Lottie Woad into a new stratosphere.

When I spoke to Woad at the Rolex LPGA Awards back in November, we chatted briefly about her goals for 2026 one of the first things she listed was making the Solheim Cup team. And I see this for her, like super clearly. She'll have a full year of pro golf under her belt, she's no stranger to the big moments (thanks to ANWA), and with the Cup on European soil, this gives Woad the perfect stage for her coming out party. Golf is often times unpredictable, but I really do like her odds.

And then there's the WTGL of it all. Woad and Zhang signed on at the same time—which is an incredible get for the league. The two young stars couldn't be more perfect for the format, and selfishly I want to see more of Lottie's personality. We already know the girl loves her footy, but what else will the mic'd up moments reveal to us about her?

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Lottie Woad has the potential to win a lot of golf tournaments, that part is clear, but I also feel like she has what it takes to be a face in this new generation of women’s golf. Beneath the quiet charisma, lies a young woman who has the composure, confidence, and competitive edge to thrive on the biggest stages in the sport. She doesn’t demand attention, but the more she plays, the harder she becomes to ignore.

This page was first published on January 29, 2026. Last updated May 20, 2026.