Staff WriterIt’s not every day a 20-year-old rookie walks into her first LPGA event as a member and ends up leading the field—but at the 2025 Women’s Scottish Open, Lottie Woad is rewriting the script, one birdie at a time.
The young Englishwoman, making her professional LPGA debut at the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open, turned in a second-round 65 to grab the outright lead at 12-under-par.
It was a bogey-free clinic in coastal golf—seven birdies, not a blemish in sight—and she now holds the lowest round of the week and her career-best 36-hole total of 132.
“I got to play with Nelly Korda and Charley Hull in my debut,” Woad said with the kind of calm that belied the magnitude of the moment. “Obviously people I’ve looked up to, so to play alongside them was really cool.”
That might be the understatement of the week. Through 36 holes, Woad’s stat sheet looks more like something from a PlayStation career mode—just one bogey across two rounds and tied for the best scrambling rate in the field.
But this isn’t just beginner’s luck. The Rolex World No. 62 already has a major pedigree. She earned LPGA Tour status via the Elite Amateur Pathway earlier this summer, following a third-place finish at The Amundi Evian Championship, and famously won the KPMG Women’s Irish Open as an amateur.
Trailing closely behind Woad at 10-under are two seasoned campaigners in Nelly Korda and Nanna Koerstz Madsen. For Korda, it’s her first appearance at the Women’s Scottish Open, but she’s adapted quickly—14 birdies, 32 greens hit in regulation, and a cut streak now extended to 13 starts.
“I started out strong with two birdies on my first two holes,” said Korda, who’s made a habit of hoovering up birdies like they’re going out of fashion. “Just hit it really well and have only missed four greens through two days.”
Koerstz Madsen, meanwhile, is enjoying her best showing at this event since 2020, where she finished T5.
Her father reminded her this might be the tournament she’s played the most—dating back to her junior days.
That familiarity’s paid off: 13 birdies, just one bogey, and a Friday 66 to match Korda’s firepower.
The ever-dangerous Sei Young Kim sits alone in fourth at 9-under, thanks to a five-under round that featured her second eagle of the week. “Yeah, it’s feel great,” she said of her latest chip-in on 18. Her short game has been razor-sharp, and she’s one of only two players to go eagle hunting with success so far.
One of the other bogey-free rounds on Friday belonged to Hyo Joo Kim, who quietly worked her way to 7-under with a tidy 66. With 31 greens hit and only four missed fairways, she’s hitting it straighter than a sermon at Sunday Mass. She’s now made six cuts in seven appearances at this event, including a runner-up finish last year.
Local eyes, however, are firmly on Gemma Dryburgh. The Scot fired a 5-under 67 to claw her way inside the cut line at 1-over—becoming the only Scottish player to make the weekend. “Yeah, kind of needed a hot start today and needed to go low,” she said. “My caddie just said to me, ‘What’s the lowest round you’ve played in Scotland?’ I said 5- or 6-under. One of them today would do. Yeah, good.”
Defending champion Lauren Coughlin remains in the mix at T12 after an even-par Friday. With 71 players making the cut at +1 or better, there’s plenty still to play for—especially for the 23 competitors chasing a last-minute ticket into next week’s AIG Women’s Open. The top three players who aren’t already exempt will earn a spot in the final major of the season.
As for Woad, this fairytale might just be getting started. No LPGA wins. No career earnings. No top-10s. Yet. But if her performance this week at the Women’s Scottish Open is anything to go by, she’s not just knocking on the door—she’s booting it open.
One thing is certain: the final 36 holes at this year’s Women’s Scottish Open won’t be short on drama, birdies, or surprises. And if the winds pick up, well… welcome to links golf, lassie.
