Woad in Control at Dundonald with Maiden LPGA Crown in Sight
English rookie two clear as final day dawns at Women’s Scottish Open
Las Vegas - Lottie Woad will carry a two-shot advantage into the final round of the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open after carding a composed 67 at Dundonald Links to move to 17-under-par.
The 21-year-old, making her professional debut, continued her impressive form on Saturday with six birdies and a single blemish—just her second bogey of the week—to edge clear of a chasing pack that includes Korea’s Sei Young Kim and Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen.
“I’ll take it overall, but I feel like I probably played better than I did the last two days,” said Woad. “I just didn’t really score too well. I gave myself a lot of chances. I’m happy with how I played tee-to-green. I could have maybe holed a few more putts.”
Having secured her LPGA Tour card via the LEAP pathway with a top-three finish at the Evian Championship, Woad is playing without pressure this week—and it’s showing. “There was a lot of attention kind of leading up with me trying to get my points, so this feels a bit more free now that I’ve got my card,” she added. “I’m just going to try to shoot as low as possible and keep giving myself chances.”
Kim, a 12-time LPGA winner, signed for a six-under 66 that featured an eagle on the 14th and a closing birdie at the last. The Korean star is chasing her first win since 2020. “It’s been a while since my last win; I’ve been waiting a long time,” she said. “I’m still working hard and always the goal is to win the tournament.”
Madsen matched Woad’s 67 to also reach 15-under. The Dane holed out for eagle at the par-five third and showed steely resolve after dropping two shots. “It was fun most of the time,” said Madsen. “I would like to be 17-under like Lottie is, but it was fun. I had a couple of good bounces and some nice putts. Hopefully, I can do that tomorrow as well.”
Korea’s Hyo-Joo Kim sits alone in fourth on 14-under following her third-round 66, with world number one Nelly Korda a further two shots adrift in fifth. Paula Reto of South Africa climbed into sixth with a 66, while Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi fired the round of the day—a sparkling 65—to join a group at eight-under.
With three AIG Women’s Open spots on offer this week, Reto, Spain’s Julia Lopez Ramirez, and Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol currently hold the provisional qualifying positions with 18 holes to play.
Final-round tee times begin at 8.55am local, with the leaders out at 10.56am. If Woad can hold her nerve, history could beckon—not only a first LPGA triumph but a second LET title in the space of a month.