Woad, ranked No. 4 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, hasn’t finished outside the top 8 in college golf this season.
Lottie Woad faced a tough decision in the aftermath of her Augusta National Women’s Amateur. The victory comes with special invitations to four major championships, including next week’s Chevron Championship, which overlaps the ACC Championship.
Woad, a 20-year-old sophomore at Florida State, has opted to make her major championship debut at the Chevron April 18-21 at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, in what will be her first LPGA start.
“I wasn’t really going to turn down a major,” said Woad, who had full support form her Seminole coaches.
The Englishwoman delivered a finish for the ages on Saturday in the final round at Augusta National, making birdie on three of the last four holes to beat USC’s Bailey Shoemaker by one stroke.
“If I’d been told before this week that I’d be two back with four to play, I would have been like, yeah, perfect, that sounds great,” said Woad. “To be in the mix on the back nine at Augusta is something that everyone dreams about.”
Woad, ranked No. 4 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, hasn’t finished outside the top 8 in college golf this season, with co-medalist honors at the Annika Intercollegiate.
With her parents and English national coach/caddie back home in England, Woad will be on her own in Texas, though former FSU player Frida Kinhult did have an extra room in her Airbnb. Woad is in the process of trying to find a local caddie for next week.
On Sunday at Augusta, Woad met Nancy Lopez and Tom Watson as she handed out awards at the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals. She also met 2016 Masters champ Danny Willett for the first time in the clubhouse.
It’s back to class for Woad this week in Tallahassee. On Tuesday night, she’ll throw out the first pitch in the sold-out FSU vs. Florida game on ESPN2. While Woad hasn’t played baseball, she did play cricket back home in England.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda headlines the field at Chevron after winning her fourth consecutive start on Sunday at the T-Mobile Match Play. Korda is the first American to win four consecutive starts on the LPGA since Nancy Lopez won five consecutive starts in 1978.
Woad received a warm welcome-home reception when she returned to Tallahassee. Kinhult made cupcakes. Check out the photos from the surprise gathering:
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Bailey Shoemaker rewrote the record book Saturday at Augusta National Golf Club.
The University of Southern California freshman put together a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 to finish runner-up in the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. It was the lowest final round in the history of the tournament.
Not bad for a first competitive round at Augusta, though it’s important to note she was also a Drive, Chip & Putt finalist in 2018.
Even though she was the clubhouse leader at 7 under for much of the afternoon, it wasn’t enough to overcome Florida State sophomore Lottie Woad. Woad finished birdie-birdie, sealing the deal on No. 18 to take the crown. Despite not winning, nothing is taken away from Shoemaker’s historic round.
“I’m obviously disappointed, but at the end of the day, I played about as good as I could have,” she said. “Maybe a couple of putts could have dropped. But I made just about everything too. It is what it is.”
The 19-year-old came into Saturday four shots off the lead. While she may not have had a record-breaking round in mind, she knew she needed to play well.
“I didn’t have a set score in my head, but I thought around 3-under would be pretty good,” she said. “Everybody wants to win, but I was just hoping for a top five or a good finish this week. Once the putts started going in, I thought there might be a chance. So I just kept it rolling.”
Shoemaker finished with 33s on both the first and second nines, highlighted by a birdie on the par-3 No. 16. She finished the afternoon with six birdies and no bogeys.
“On 16, I was in between clubs. I went up a club,” she said. “I was trying to get like five yards right, go up,take the hill, pulled it. Good club, I guess. Just barely carried on the front edge, and it was good. A nice little birdiefrom five feet.”
This was Shoemaker’s first made ANWA cut in three tries, and she’s taking a mature approach to the outcome, even though it didn’t go the way she may have envisioned.
“Just another opportunity where I’ve been in the hunt and in position to win a tournament,” she said. “It’s been a while for me, but it’s OK. Especially at Augusta National, it was fun. It was exciting. Good test of pressure for myself, I feel like. It’s always good to put yourself in that position and see how you perform.”
Many of the lessons learned this week will come in handy during the rest of her season at USC.
“I learned that I can be patient and I can take a moment. Really been working on sport psych and just letting go, accepting, just whatever happens, happens,” she said. “Once you get to the next shot, nothing’s happened before that and just really got to focus on the next one. I was really proud of myself today. I was super patient. Forgot what was happening almost, just focused on what’s happening right now. Not worried about the future or what’s happened in the past.”
The 61-year-old serves as England’s national coach and works as the performance guru for countryman Matt Fitzpatrick.
Following the win, Robinson was quick to jab at Fitzpatrick’s longtime looper, Billy Foster.
“I can’t wait to tell Billy Foster, ‘Caddying isn’t all that hard,’” Robinson said. “I mean, what a proper finish. I’ve known Lottie since she was 14, and she’s always had the attributes to be the best player she could be.”
“I did a lot better than I did last time,” the 19-year-old sophomore said. “Probably mid- to high 70s. I did pick up (not finish a hole) for pace of play but other than that I had some good shots out there. I parred 12, which I was excited about. I hit a great shot there.”
Her best chance for a birdie came on the difficult 14th hole, but her attempt lipped out.
At the ANWA, a marker is used when there is an uneven number of players in the final round. That way, the first player off the tee doesn’t have to play by herself, and the marker keeps her scorecard. The marker does not post a score and is encouraged to pick up on a few holes so she doesn’t have a regulation round.
Since Buxton had her name on the back of her caddie’s jumpsuit, just like the rest of the field, most fans assumed she was one of the participants.
“Yeah, same thing as last year except when I picked up the ball. They probably wondered, ‘What’s she doing?’” Buxton said.
The first two rounds of this tournament were played at Evans’ Champions Retreat. After Thursday’s second round, the top 30 and ties from the starting field of 72 advanced to play the final round at Augusta National.
Thirty-five players qualified and, since twosomes are used in the final round, Buxton knew the odd number meant she would be the marker. If the final round had used threesomes, as was the case at Champions Retreat, a marker would not have been needed. The first group off the tee would have been a twosome.
“I was watching the scores, but my dad saw it before I did. He called me and said, ‘Oh my Goodness, you made it.’ I said ‘Wow.’”
Buxton was first off the tee on Saturday with Lauren Kim, a Texas freshman. The pair clicked and Kim shot 1-under 71 – one of just eight under-par scores on the day – and moved from a six-way tie for 30th to tie for 14th place.
“We talked a lot,” Buxton said. “She was super sweet, super nice. She played really well today. She’s very good. It was great playing with her.”
Augusta National had reached out to Buxton “a couple of weeks ago” to tell her to be prepared if needed.
She got the official word on about 5 p.m. Friday, she said.
“They said get ready to play tomorrow,” Buxton said.
And she was, thanks to her experience from a year ago.
“Last year basically kind of took most of the nerves (away),” she said. “I had some nerves on the first tee box but after that I was kind of zeroed in. Competition. My swing was pretty dialed today, I would say.”
Buxton’s father, Todd, and her grandparents made the 10-hour drive from their home in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday in order to see Taya play. That same group was on hand last year. Also like last year, she made sure they all drove in one car so everyone could enjoy the trip down Magnolia Lane with her.
The University of Southern California signee righted the ship, however, with eagles on Nos. 8 and 15.
Koo earned two pairs of crystal highball glasses for the accomplishment.
“I played three really bad holes, was 3-over for the day, and I looked at my caddie and said, ‘Let’s just enjoy every shot,’” Koo said.
That’s what happened.
Competing in her first ANWA, Koo finished the event at 3-under par, which proved good enough for fourth place.
“I began the round super nervous,” Koo admitted. “I’ve never been to an event with so many patrons, and I made a few hiccups early. But, honestly, after making those mistakes it took the pressure off.”
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Lottie Woad typically calls an Uber on Saturday mornings around 7:30 a.m. to get a lift to the golf course. The Florida State sophomore doesn’t have a car in the U.S., and while most college students her age are hitting snooze, Woad hits the practice facility. The Englishwoman’s work ethic is legendary.
“You think you work hard, and she works 10 times harder,” said teammate Charlotte Heath. “We have pros at our club, and Lottie outworks them all.”
When the moment came for that meticulous preparation to pay off on one of the biggest stages at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, the lion-hearted Woad delivered a finish for the ages.
After USC’s Bailey Shoemaker posted a course-record 6-under 66 to take the clubhouse lead at 7 under, Woad birdied three of the last four holes to overtake her. Woad joined Arnold Palmer in 1960 and Mark O’Meara in 1998 as champions at Augusta National Golf Club who birdied their final two holes to win by one shot.
“I was hoping it was going to be like a nice, stress-free day,” said Woad, “but it was far from that. In the end, it’s a cooler way to finish.”
Woad had English national coach Steve Robinson on the bag, and the pair put together a meticulous plan to attack the final round. They knew which hole locations they wanted to play short, and which ones were better to be long. With Woad’s magnificent approach play all week, most of the time, things went according to plan.
The mess of a bogey on the par-5 13th, however, proved an exception. Robinson gave her a pep talk after that hole and again on the 14th, though he wouldn’t divulge what was said.
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur is unique in that the 36-hole leader must sleep on the lead not one but two nights. Robinson said they talked about the fact someone would come for her. Even though she led by two going into the final round, it wouldn’t be surprising if she had to chase down the stretch.
Woad did her best to embrace it.
“If been told before this week that I’d be two back with four to play, I would have been like, yeah, perfect, that sounds great,” said Woad. “To be in the mix on the back nine at Augusta is something that everyone dreams about.”
When Shoemaker approached the 18th green on Saturday – five groups ahead of Woad – fans seemed almost oblivious to the kind of round she’d put together. They offered a polite applause as she walked up to the green with a few muffled whoops.
A brilliant two-putt from the back of the green brought a little more reaction. But it wasn’t until a man raised both hands and yelled “Six under! Great round!” that Shoemaker finally started to get a proper reaction for a record day.
She gave one more glance back at the giant scoreboard on No. 18 as she walked off the green, leading by one.
Woad, ever the board-watcher herself, knew exactly what needed to be done.
Lottie Woad reacts after sinking the winning putt on no. 18 during the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Luke Bone began working with Woad at Farnham Golf Club when she was 7 years old. Bone, 37, has had to up his teaching game as Woad upped hers, though he still works with the 80-year-olds at the club as well as the up-and-coming teens.
Over the years, Bone preserved the unique patterns of Woad’s powerful swing and focused mainly on the hitting area, making sure that she was stable with the clubface through impact so that she could control her ball-flight and shot shape.
Woad won the 2022 British Girls’ Amateur at Carnoustie before coming to Florida State, a move that has given her more months to practice on quality greens. If there’s a weakness in her game, it’s her putting, which is where she spent most of her time coming into this week.
This week, and Saturday in particular, stands out as one of the best weeks she’s had on the greens.
“Thankfully, it came at the right time,” she said.
Bond describes Woad as a player with a strong golf IQ who thrives on competition. Once a month she gets on a call with Bone to talk about Woad’s game. Woad has such a good handle on her game that Bond told her earlier this spring that they’re going to start getting super nitpicky.
“She’s always going to push to be the best,” said Bond.
Woad drained a 15-footer for birdie on the par-5 15th to pull within one and narrowly missed a good look on the 16th to tie. She’d get another chance on the 17th after hitting a wedge from 104 yards to 12 feet.
After piping another brilliant drive, she hit a little 9-iron from 130 pin high and poured in another 15-footer to close with a 69 and an 8-under total. World No. 1 Ingrid Lindblad notched her third top-three finish at this event, finishing alone in third, four back. She stayed at LSU for a fifth year, in part, for one more shot at winning this event.
“I feel every time I come in here, I just have a smile on my face,” said Lindblad. “It doesn’t matter how it goes. You’re happy to be here.”
Bond, who was standing behind the 18th when the putt dropped, threw both hands in the air, calling it “big time.”
“The kid’s just got the ‘it’ factor,” she said.
Lottie Woad speaks during a ceremony following the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Woad’s 85-year-old grandmother made the trip to America to watch her play and caught most of the action on Saturday. She’d been taking long walks back in England to prepare the week.
Marian was there on the 18th along with Woad’s father and an aunt. Younger sister Milly had exams and stayed said back in England with mom.
“I hope they enjoyed it,” she quipped during the trophy ceremony.
With the win, Woad receives exemptions into four of the five LPGA majors, including the Chevron Championship two weeks from now. The Chevron happens to fall on the same dates as the ACC Championship, which means Woad will soon have a tough decision to make.
Asked early in the week what makes Woad unique, Robinson said she’s prepared to pay the price to be successful.
It paid off handsomely. The gritty Woad scripted a sublime finish at Augusta National that won’t soon be forgotten.
Mike Schy’s biggest worry about Talley was that she’d fall out of love with golf before the age of 15.
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Mike Schy’s biggest worry about Asterisk Talley was that she’d fall out of love with golf before the age of 15.
At the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, where 15-year-old Talley is the youngest player to make the cut, she certainly sounds like someone having the time of her life on the biggest stage in women’s amateur golf.
“It’s been the greatest two weeks ever,” said Talley after playing Augusta National Golf Club for the first time. Just prior to the ANWA, Talley won the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, shooting 9 under over 54 holes to set a new women’s scoring record.
Talley drained a 5-foot putt for par on her last hole Thursday at Champions Retreat to make the cut at 3 over. She trails leader Lottie Woad by eight strokes heading into the final round and will tee off at 7:50 a.m. alongside Farah O’Keefe.
Schy isn’t surprised that Talley made the cut. In fact, he expected her to win. Talley is comfortable winning because Schy encouraged the family to sign her up for as many small tournaments as possible, including the 9-holers, so that she’d learn how to win.
“She became very comfortable winning early,” said Schy. “So many players skip that part.”
Asterisk was 3 years old when people first started telling her father she was good. That’s when she got her first official coach. Schy came into the picture about five years later.
“When she was eight and a half, she had this one tooth that stuck out funny in the front,” said Schy, “and yet when she started hitting balls, I literally thought I was talking to a 20-year-old.”
Schy said he could almost talk to a young Talley about her golf swing like he talked to longtime student Bryson DeChambeau.
“I’ve watched her do chipping stuff with Bryson and beat his brains in,” said Schy, laughing. “She’s not afraid of anyone.”
Asterisk Talley tees off on No. 13 tee during a practice round for the 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Shanna Lockwood/Augusta National)
Another similarity to DeChambeau, he notes, is their ability to put on blinders and focus. That kind of mentality has been built in for some time now with Talley, he said, despite her age.
Talley’s notoriety has already risen considerably this week with an NBC broadcast still to come on Saturday. The resume, combined with the unique first name, makes her easy to spot.
Talley can thank her dad for her unique first name, which means “little star” in Greek. Her mother, Brandii, is Greek. When asked whether she liked her name, Talley said it has its ups and downs.
“Some people are like, wow, really cool name,” she said, “and then some people are like, what the hell is that, and it’s like, sorry, I didn’t choose it. You just live with it.”
Talley likes to put an “x” when she dots the “I” in her name to make an asterisk sign. She’s been working on her autograph since adults started asking her for it around age 8. Her father, a former graphic designer turned corrections officer, has been working on a logo. When asked whether it might be embroidered on her clothes, which her father mostly buys on eBay, Talley said, “We’re not there yet, but that might happen.”
Talley wants to get to the LPGA as quickly as possible. If she can get there without going to college, she’ll take it.
The 113th-ranked Talley won three WAGR-ranked events last year, including the AJGA Rolex Girls Junior Championship. She also represented the U.S. on the Junior Solheim Cup team and was recently named one 10 girls on the USGA’s new U.S. National Junior Team.
While Schy believed Talley could do big things in her ANWA debut, he reminded her that no matter what happened, she still has to go to school the next week.
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur continues to grow and get better.
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur continues to grow and get better.
Introduced in 2019, it gave the world’s top female amateurs a shot at playing Augusta National Golf Club in what has become one of the premier amateur events on the calendar. And for the first time this year, players have a chance to participate in one of the signature highlights of Masters week.
During Friday’s practice round at Augusta National, ANWA participants were also able to play the Par 3 Course for the first time. The nine-hole layout was redesigned before the 2023 Masters, which rerouted holes 1-5 and took out trees for better patron viewing experiences.
Kokoro Nakamura of Japan putts on the No. 9 green on the Par 3 course during a practice round for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club, Friday, April 5, 2024. Chloe Knott/Augusta National
And on Friday, every ANWA participants, even those who didn’t make the putt, got to add the Par 3 Course to their practice-round experience.
Get an early look at Augusta National before the Masters.
It’s time for Augusta National Golf Club to take the spotlight.
The 2024 Augusta National Women’s Amateur has moved to Augusta National, with a Friday practice round for all 72 golfers in the field. Come Saturday, it’s time for the final round, where the 35 who made the cut will battle it out on the famed grounds for one of the biggest amateur titles in the world.
For the first time, all participants will be able to play the Par 3 Course during the practice round Friday. It’s the first time many will get a look at the revamped layout. It’s also an opportunity for those who get to play on Saturday to get their final prep work in.
“It’s crazy how much pressure people feel at this level to go pro.”
EVANS, Ga. — Emilia Migliaccio was a teenager when she first came to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Now, she’s a 24-year-old married woman with several jobs in television broadcasting and a part-time amateur player who just remarkably beat a bunch of full-time players to snag another tee time at Augusta National on Saturday.
Migliaccio’s road to becoming the only player to tee it up on all five editions of the ANWA was, as she says, not a straight line. After thinking in a straight line for so long – the steps of her golf career ascending naturally, almost inevitably, to the LPGA – life took a drastic turn.
Migliaccio decided not to pursue professional golf, just as 2017 NCAA champion Monica Vaughn had done a few years prior. Rachel Heck, the 2022 NCAA champion, recently announced her plans to forgo a professional career in a poignant essay.
“It’s crazy how much pressure people feel at this level to go pro,” said 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Jensen Castle.
When Castle won the Women’s Amateur, she had no thoughts of turning pro. But suddenly people were asking if she planned to finish the year.
“What do you mean am I going to finish the year?” Castle would say. “I’m going to finish the next three.”
While Castle, a fifth-year senior at Kentucky, does now plan to turn professional in May, she understands and respects why her Curtis Cup teammates have made other plans.
In fact, Castle believes that Heck’s essay detailing her decision will change lives.
“She’s inspiring a lot of other people to do other things,” said Castle.
Monica Vaughn and Janet Mao
When Monica Vaughn Fisher withdrew from LPGA Q-School seven years ago, she became the first NCAA champion to forgo a professional career before it even started since the NCAA started crowning them in 1982.
Fisher worked as a college coach at Oregon before taking a job in fundraising and becoming a mom to son Cosmos. Growing up playing volleyball and basketball in high school, Vaughn loved being part of a team. Professional golf was never really the goal.
Heck, however, wanted to be the best in the world. That was the goal from an early age. But as the injuries piled on and she found other interests, Heck began to realize that she didn’t want the lifestyle of a professional golfer. She didn’t want to live on the road and in the public eye. She no longer dreamed of winning a U.S. Women’s Open and getting into the LPGA Hall of Fame. What’s more, she realized that those dreams were never what her dad had intended when he first put a club in her hand.
On Thursday at Champions Retreat, the tears flowed as a crushing finish down the stretch cost Heck one more Saturday round with dad at Augusta National. She took a few extra minutes to compose herself before meeting with the press.
“I mean, it’s not the way you want to see it end,” she said.
The golf isn’t over, of course. Heck still plans to compete in amateur golf and, as she does, she’ll be a reminder of another path.
“I think we always tried to be balanced,” said Heck’s father, Robert. “Sports in general and golf, in particular, are very fickle. Even when she was on top, we knew it could end at any point.”
The Hecks wanted to make sure that Rachel had other interests, and she found plenty. When she graduates from Stanford this spring, she’ll also be pinned as a Lieutenant of the United States Air Force.
In recent days, Heck’s peers have approached to say thank you for being a voice that says golf isn’t everything. Parents have reached out to say how helpful they found her words.
“All that has meant the world,” she said.
Emilia Migliaccio of the United States talks with her caddie on the second hole during the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club on April 03, 2021 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
When Migliaccio’s not calling golf, she often finds herself talking to young players who want advice on weighing their options. Professional golf is a lonely road, and as Castle points out, a difficult one for those wanting to start a family.
Tour veteran Amy Olson once said she believed more people struggle on tour because of a lack of community and loneliness than a technical problem in their swing or putting stroke.
For many, there’s no doubt that money plays a big role. The majority of college players who decide to turn pro will spend their first few years on the Epson Tour spending more money than they make.
“They don’t want to put their parents in debt,” said FSU coach Amy Bond, “and they don’t want to be in debt.”
To see decorated players like Heck, Migliaccio and Vaughn walk away from the grind of professional golf gives players of all levels permission to ask tough questions of themselves and have perhaps even tougher conversations with family.
With so many of today’s young players specializing in the game so early, Bond also notes that it’s easy to see how their hearts and their bodies simply get tired.
“People are falling out of love with the game as they keep going,” she said.
Amanda Sambach of the United States prior to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Champions Retreat Golf Club, Monday, April 1, 2024. (Photo: Shanna Lockwood/Augusta National)
Virginia’s Amanda Sambach enters the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur three back of Lottie Woad. The former ACC champion said she can relate to Heck’s words.
“Obviously golf has brought me so far,” said Sambach in the lead-up to the ANWA.
“I mean, I love golf … but the thought of trying and traveling by myself for years and years and years without having your whole heart in the sport – the thought of it is scary to me.”
The 21-year-old junior isn’t sure how long she’ll give golf a try after she graduates, but she already knows that her family will support whatever decision she makes. If golf isn’t the future, she’d like to go into the medical field.
One thing is certain: There are options.
“You can still compete,” said Migliaccio, “but it doesn’t have to be your whole life.”
