Lottie Woad goes back-to-back thanks to second round charge
OPENS: Wednesday, July 14th
England Girls star Lottie Woad won her second major 36-hole Open competition in quick succession last night as she overturned a four-shot, halfway deficit to win the Bridget Jackson Bowl at Handsworth.
Fresh from a four-shot victory in the Centenary Scratch Cup at Porters Park in Middlesex, the 17-year-old Surrey player (pictured above) beat another high-class field in the Midlands, firing a five under par 68 in the afternoon to edge out Sussex’s Salysa Mason (Cottesmore) by one shot.
The 17-year-old now faces a huge couple of weeks with the English Girls taking place at Malton & Norton next week (July 19-22) and then she makes the short journey west to Leeds for the English Amateur (at Headingley and Moortown, July 25-Aug 1).
Woad finished round one in joint third with Suffolk county champion Alice Barlow three behind the 18-hole leader and Woad, Jessica Hall (Bishop Auckland), Amelia Wan (Hollinwell) and Caitlin Whitehead (Carus Green) one shot further back.
Brilliant back nine secures Bridget Jackson Bowl success for Sophia Fullbrook
After lunch a couple of excellent up and downs at the first two holes for par set up the teenager for a strong surge on the front nine with birdies coming at three, five and nine.
She got another one at ten and her length helped her take advantage of the par five 14th to get to five under for her round and eight under for the tournament.
She almost holed her approach at 16 and tapped in for a three but then found trouble off the tee at 18 and ended up bogeying the par five.
“I was thinking birdie at 18 so thought that could have cost me,” said Lottie.
“We had to wait for three or four hours to see what Salysa had done and I really thought I hadn’t done enough.”
The Sussex player’s level-par 73 meant she finished second to leave Lottie following in some pretty illustrious footsteps. The event’s last two winners were part of the England team that won the European Championship at Royal County Down at the weekend – Caley McGinty (2019) and Rosie Belsham (2020).