Lottie Woad once again demonstrated her prodigious talent with a four-shot victory in the Centenary Scratch Cup at Porters Park yesterday.
The England girls international has put together a superbly-consistent run of results in both junior and women’s competitions this season and, at the Middlesex venue, went bogey free in her second round to finish well clear of recent Helen Holm champion Kirsten Rudgeley (Australia) and Hertfordshire teenager Sophia Fullbrook.
Woad went into the 36-hole stroke play contest event on the back of a second place in the inaugural mixed England U-18s and a superb victory in the 72-hole Critchley Astor Salver having also reached the last 32 of the British Amateur.
The 17-year-old Surrey star was especially pleased with her long game at Porters Park, where she closed on eight under after rounds of 70 and 68.
“I hit the ball really well,” said the Farnham junior. “I only missed three greens in the second round and four in the first round.”
Lottie Woad wins all her matches as England defend European title
Her morning round once again highlighted her exceptional power as she reached two par fives with a drive and seven iron. At the third and 18th she put both her approaches inside 15 feet and drained the putts. She also birdied one, seven and 14 to leave herself two behind Rudgeley, who birdied her first four holes on her way to a two-shot lead at halfway.
The Aussie world No 113 then eagled the first after lunch but bogeyed three out of four starting at the fifth.
Meanwhile Lottie went out in a three-under par 33 to take the lead and added further birdies at 10 and 13 while Rudgeley registered eight pars and a bogey on the back nine to close with a one over par 74.
The victory has come at the perfect time for Lottie in terms of building confidence with the English Girls Strokeplay Championship at Malton & Norton starting on July 19th and then the English Amateur Championship taking place the following week (Moortown and Headingley).