There’s a superstar in the making at the LPGA Tour, and her name, ladies and gentlemen, is Lottie Woad. Against a loaded field of more experienced pro golfers like Nelly Korda, Hyo Joo Kim, and Charley Hull, Woad fired a score of 4-under 68 in the final round to clinch her first professional win and her first paycheck in her professional debut. Talk about back-to-back iconic Woad moments. However, despite these achievements, people can’t help but constantly look back at her past mistakes.

What past? Well, to understand that, take a look at the amount of money she lost despite finishing solid in her last two starts in the LPGA circuit. After her win at the 2025 KPMG Women’s Irish Open, Woad would’ve pocketed $78,900 as a pro. Then, with her T3 finish at the 2025 Amundi Evian Championship, she would’ve added $523,761 to her purse. That’s a staggering total of $602,661 left on the table, simply because she was still an amateur.

Yet, after winning the 2025 ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open, Woad seemed dismissive of the loss and said, “Yeah, I don’t even know what the winner’s cheque is. But yeah, I mean, a lot of people have obviously talked about me not winning any money. But I knew going into this event, at the start, I wasn’t going to win any money. Didn’t make too much difference. And then I knew if I kept playing how I was, then it would all work out.” 

Indeed, everything did work out for the 21-year-old. After her first pro win at Dundonald Links, Woad pocketed a staggering $300,000 as her first paycheck. It’s a far cry from the amount she could’ve earned earlier, but the taste of that first win must be sweet, especially after her amazing run in the event.

In the final round of the 2025 ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open, Woad started strong, holding a two-stroke lead after notching early birdies. But her immediate rival, Hyo Joo Kim, closed the gap with seven birdies in 14 holes, yet Woad regained her footing with birdies on 13 and 14.

A bogey on 16 narrowed her lead to two strokes, but the up-and-coming star stayed calm, paring the next hole and finishing with a birdie on the final hole after laying up. And thus clinching her first professional win in her professional debut. Yet, aside from earning her first paycheck, the newly turned pro has more than one thing on her hand — namely a place in history.

Lottie Woad’s first professional win is one for the history books

Lottie Woad’s smile lit up the 18th fairway at Dundonald Links as she strolled towards her historic win in the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open. The 21-year-old English star had a comfortable lead, and her nerves seemed nonexistent. With a final-round 68, Woad claimed victory in her professional debut, finishing three shots ahead of Hyo Joo Kim.

This remarkable achievement made her just the third golfer in LPGA history to win in her first outing as a pro, joining legends like Beverly Hanson, who first achieved this feat in 1951, and Rose Zhang, who won her pro debut at the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open. Following the win, the pro golfer said, “I think it’s quite hard to do that, but very special to win in my first event. Everyone was chasing me today, and I managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots, which is nice.”

With her family cheering her on, including her grandmother, who lives in Scotland, Woad’s momentum is set to carry over to next week’s 2025 AIG Women’s British Open. Hopefully! After all, she has been on heater all this while, and the fans will hope for a similar performance from Woad. “Just looking to continue the momentum, really,” she said, already eyeing her next challenge. And that’s something that not only she but the entire golf world will anticipate.