Lottie Woad is unconcerned along with her odds forward of this week’s AIG Girls’s Open – odds that, for the document, aren’t simply fairly good however higher than anyone else within the subject at Royal Porthcawl in Wales.
At +750, Woad is the favourite, simply forward of the highest two gamers on the earth, Nelly Korda and Jeeno Thitikul, who’re every +900. No different participant is healthier than +1600.
“I don’t understand how they do it, however I really feel like I’m taking part in effectively, so I assume I used to be going to be one of many favorites,” Woad stated Tuesday. “Clearly, everybody’s so good, so I really feel like anybody can win actually. You’ve seen it this yr – I feel each winner has been completely different, so there’s many individuals it could possibly be.”
However just one participant has received two of their previous three tournaments. For Woad, it began earlier this month when she cruised to victory on the KPMG Girls’s Irish Open. She then contended on the Amundi Evian Championship in her last begin as an novice earlier than settling for a share of third, a shot out of a playoff. After which final week, Woad took down Korda and different prime names to win in her skilled debut on the ISPS Handa Girls’s Scottish Open.
With Woad already as much as No. 24 on the earth rankings, others are already taking discover.
“Completely wonderful,” stated Korda, who performed alongside Woad for 2 days in Scotland. “I used to be very impressed along with her composure, her course of. I feel, in relation to her shot routine, particularly below stress and within the warmth of the second, generally folks appear to fidget and sort of doubt themselves, however she caught to it, she caught to her course of each single time, and I feel that’s one of many important issues that I seen is how mature she is for her age and the way comfy she was within the warmth of the second.”
Added Korda: “Golf is a recreation of confidence, and she or he’s undoubtedly excessive up there proper now, so she’s going to be trusting every little thing. … I feel she’s additionally using a confidence excessive too with how effectively she’s taking part in.”
And Lydia Ko, who shares a administration firm with Woad, Excel Sports activities: “I feel there’s somewhat bit extra expertise below her belt than what folks in all probability give her credit score for. However after I’ve seen the protection or how she composes herself, she doesn’t appear to be she rushes into issues or will get like overly emotional. I’m positive that’s going to assist her with that transition as effectively.”
TV instances and extra for the ultimate main of the LPGA season, the AIG Girls’s Open.
Assured, but unassuming. Woad reckoned she’d use a few of her winnings from final week to buy her first automotive. The 21-year-old nonetheless doesn’t have her license, although she’d deliberate to make use of Florida State head coach Amy Bond’s automotive to take her driving check when she returned stateside. Certainly, Woad will ace that, too.
The second simply doesn’t appear to get to her, even now.
“There’s all the time stress clearly,” Woad stated, “however I don’t assume there’s any greater than there was, like from my perspective, earlier than any of the previous couple of weeks.”
That stress is arguably on all people else.
