Lottie Woad is returning to Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, Scotland, to defend her title at the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open.

This venue holds immense significance for the 22-year-old, as it is where she made a historic debut exactly one year ago. And her rapid ascent from elite amateur to a top-tier professional has led golf legends like Dame Laura Davies to describe her as a "rock star" of the future.

“She’s not afraid to compete against the biggest names in the game,” Davies said at the time, per Sky Sports Golf.

“She has every part of her game, and her results already suggest she has all the qualities to become a rockstar of the future.”

Last July, at Dundonald Links, she closed with a final-round 68 to finish at 21-under par and beat Hyo Joo Kim by three shots. It made her only the third player in LPGA Tour history to win in her professional debut, joining Rose Zhang and Beverly Hanson.

Now, twelve months later, Woad proved every word of Davies right. Her rise hasn't slowed down since, and she has ascended to World No. 5.

Woad won her second LPGA Tour title in May at the Kroger Queen City Championship, holding off Haeran Ryu. She almost added a third win soon after. At the Meijer LPGA Classic, she three-putted the final hole and fell into a playoff, which she lost to Miyu Yamashita. 

She tied for seventh at the Chevron Championship in April. And at the Amundi Evian Championship earlier this month, she was the 36-hole leader before rounds of 72 and 73 dropped her to a share of 16th.

“It’s definitely been a long year. I’ve played a lot of golf, had a lot of new experiences. I’ve definitely learned some things as well in the year,” she reflected on her journey, per Sky Sports Golf.

"It’s nice to come back to where I guess it all started, my pro debut here. I’ve been happy with how I’ve been playing. At Evian, it wasn’t the weekend I wanted there. But I’m trying to take what I can from that, still playing good golf but also learning too.”

Woad Is Ready to Face a Different Nelly Korda This Time

When Woad won her first title last year, she did it while playing right next to the biggest star in women’s golf. Nelly Korda was in her group for all four rounds. 

Now history is repeating itself. For the first two rounds of her title defence, Woad has again been drawn in the same group as Korda. England’s Charley Hull is also in the same group this season.

But the Nelly Korda who arrives at Dundonald Links this week is not the same player who left empty-handed a year ago. After a winless 2025, Korda has returned to form in 2026.

She has already won four times this season. Two of those wins were major championships: the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open. She is also back at world No. 1 in the Rolex ranking, earlier this season.

Woad knows exactly what she is up against. But she is not backing away. In fact, she welcomes the challenge.

“I think every event she’s at, she’s the person everybody is coming to see. She’s No 1 in the world,” Woad said of Korda, per Sky Sports Golf.

“Last year I was playing with her and we got a really big crowd. Playing with her again this year so I expect it to be the same. I hope it goes same as last year.”

Read more at Club Golf!

Written by

Md Saife Fida