Nelly Korda marvels at Lottie Woad’s ‘absolutely amazing’ game

LONDON – Lottie Woad’s meteoric rise to golf stardom has impressed many of her fellow competitors, including world No. 1 Nelly Korda.

The two were paired together at last week’s Women’s Scottish Open, which Woad won by three strokes on her professional debut. The world’s top-ranked amateur just two weeks ago, Woad already has shot up to No. 24 in the world rankings.

Korda was asked about Woad’s game, which she called “absolutely amazing”.

“I was very impressed with her composure, her process,” she said on July 29 ahead of this week’s Women’s British Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales.

“When it comes to her shot routine, especially under pressure and in the heat of the moment, sometimes people seem to fidget and doubt themselves. But she stuck to it, stuck to her process every single time.

“I think that’s one of the main things that I noticed is how mature she is for her age and how comfortable she was in the heat of the moment.”

Woad, 21, came into the LPGA Tour after a stellar career at Florida State University, and accepted her tour membership after tying for third at the Evian Championship earlier in July.

“I feel good obviously,” she said on July 29. “I don’t feel too different, to be honest. I got a lot of confidence from the last few – the last month really. Just trying to continue to ride that.”

The Englishwoman is paired with former world No. 1 and defending champion Lydia Ko and 2023 champion Lilia Vu for the first two rounds this week.

“I think there’s a little bit more experience under her belt than what people probably give her credit for,” Ko said.

“But when I’ve seen the coverage or how she composes herself, she doesn’t seem like she rushes into things or gets like overly emotional. I’m sure that’s going to help her with that transition as well.”

Korda will be playing in another marquee group along with Ariya Jutanugarn and Angel Yin. Jeeno Thitikul, who is nipping at Korda’s heels for that No. 1 ranking, is paired with Minjee Lee and Charley Hull.

Korda was in contention last week before settling for fifth place following a final-round 71. She is still seeking her first victory of 2025 but did finish joint-second at the 2024 Women’s British Open and celebrated her 27th birthday on July 28.

“New week, new golf course, new conditions,” she said.

“My goal is to prepare the best that I can, enjoy myself and, hopefully, be in contention.

“And then kind of enjoy the ride because, as many highs as I’ve had, I’ve had a lot of lows too with this sport, but I still come back and I still want to experience those highs in all the different circumstances, different golf courses, different conditions.

“And just continue to grow my love for the game.”

Meanwhile in men’s golf, Ben Griffin will be looking to rebound from missing the cut in each of his last two tournaments when he tees off at the Wyndham Championship on July 31.

Griffin, a former University of North Carolina standout, admitted that he relishes playing in the tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro. And with good reason, considering the former mortgage broker was fourth in 2022 before tying for seventh in 2024.

“Yeah, this is one of my favourite events of the year, just a lot of family and friends close by. So really excited to come in this week with a lot more freedom than last kind of couple years being on the bubble of the play-offs,” he said.

Griffin, 29, is 17th in the rankings on the strength of his two wins this season. He combined with Andrew Novak to win April’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans team competition before capturing the Charles Schwab Challenge in May. REUTERS