​Lottie Woad is barely a year into her professional career, yet she’s already leading a major championship for the first time. The 22-year-old nearly claimed the Amundi Evian Championship last year in her final amateur appearance, and she kicked off her pro debut by winning the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open in her first start as a professional. Now, back at Evian Resort Golf Club, Woad has caught Round 1 leader Aki Iwai and sits one stroke ahead after Friday’s second round.
“Feels great,” Woad said after a scorching day on the course produced a 7-under 64. “I mean, she’ll probably catch me before I finish. She has some par 5s. I’ve obviously got nice memories from last year here, and I like the golf course, so that definitely helps.” Iwai didn’t close the gap, however. Woad stands at 11 under heading into the weekend, with Iwai at 10 under. The next closest players are Haeran Ryu, the recent KPMG Women’s PGA champion, and Mao Saigo, both at 8 under.
It’s another week and another opportunity to add to an already impressive résumé in such a young LPGA Tour career. Woad claimed the Kroger Queen City Championship in mid-May and came close again in mid-June at the Meijer LPGA Classic, missing a two-foot putt to win outright and ultimately losing to Miyu Yamashita in a playoff.
“I think trying to keep that perspective that this is still kind of my rookie year, even though it’s not, has definitely helped me,” Woad said in the lead-up to the Women’s PGA, a week after the Meijer event. “Obviously, last week kind of sucked. So I’m just trying to remind myself that I’m still 22 and I’ve won twice already. If you’d told me that coming out of college this year, I’d have bitten your hand off for it.” Woad’s run at the Women’s PGA ended with a missed cut—the final start before Evian.
Notably absent from the cut line in France was world No. 1 Nelly Korda, who finished at 1 over and just one stroke shy of the even-par cutoff. As Woad pursues her growing list of accolades, the Evian Championship continues to be the stage where this young star is proving she belongs among the sport’s elite.