The 22-year-old Englishwoman held her nerve on a gusty Sunday afternoon to win the Kroger Queen City Championship at Maketewah Country Club in Cincinnati, claiming her second LPGA Tour title by two strokes.
Lottie Woad closed with a 1-under 69 to finish at 12-under 268, with South Korea’s Haeran Ryu finishing solo second at 10-under after a 67. Miyu Yamashita took third at 9-under with a stunning 64, while Ruoning Yin finished fourth at 8-under.
The victory earned Lottie Woad the top prize of $300,000 on a historic Sunday for English golf, with Aaron Rai winning the PGA Championship on the same day.
How Lottie Woad Won
Woad entered the final round three shots clear of Amanda Doherty and four ahead of Ryu. She briefly came under pressure when Ryu went 5-under through her front nine to threaten the lead.
But Ryu’s challenge unravelled with a dropped shot at the 10th and a double bogey on the par-4 13th, handing the advantage back to Woad.
The decisive moment came on the 17th hole, where Woad drained a 20-foot birdie putt from above the hole to open up a two-shot cushion heading into the par-3 18th.
“Not an easy putt from where I was above the hole with a lot of break,” Woad said. “Gave me a two-shot cushion on a par 3, so pretty happy with that.”
Woad also had to overcome a double bogey of her own on the par-4 sixth but responded brilliantly, hitting fairways and greens consistently throughout a windy and tricky afternoon.
“It was pretty windy out there,” she said. “Trying to judge the yardages into some smaller greens was definitely tricky.”
A Sweeter Second Win
Lottie Woad first announced herself on the professional stage with a victory at the Women’s Scottish Open in her professional debut last July. She also won the Irish Open as an amateur while still playing collegiate golf for Florida State.
But this one means more.
“This one is definitely a little sweeter than the first one because I wasn’t really expecting that,” Woad said. “This one I’ve seen how good everyone is out there, so it’s good to win again.”
World number one Nelly Korda, who had won her previous two starts, shot a 67 to finish tied eighth at 5-under after entering the day nine shots back. Defending champion Jeeno Thitikul finished seventh at 6-under after a 69.
