'i Know What I Need To Do' - Rising Star Woad Targets Open

Just a week aft turning professional, Lottie Woad is favourite for nan last awesome of nan twelvemonth - nan AIG Women's Open astatine Royal Porthcawl.

It is simply a startling emergence for British golf's astir breathtaking prospect. She arrived successful Wales having been crowned Scottish Open champion connected Sunday.

This, successful nan aforesaid period she ended her amateur profession by winning nan Irish Open and finished 3rd astatine nan Evian Championship, nan astir caller women's major.

The bookmakers person taken notice. Odds arsenic stingy arsenic 6-1 to triumph a play tourney are usually reserved for nan likes of Tiger Woods successful his pomp and astir precocious Scottie Scheffler - not a rookie only days into her master career.

But nan 21-year-old from Surrey is performing for illustration a seasoned champion, demonstrating a golfing maturity measurement beyond her years.

Can she triumph this week? "Yes, absolutely," erstwhile Women's Open champion and NBC commentator Karen Stupples told BBC Sport.

"I mean, she came 10th past twelvemonth arsenic an amateur and she almost won astatine Evian."

The subordinate herself seems unfazed by nan attraction she is generating but concedes her stunning commencement to life successful nan paid ranks has travel arsenic a spot of a surprise.

"I don't deliberation you tin foretell that," she told BBC Sport. "I evidently was playing beautiful well. But you tin ne'er expect to triumph an event, particularly your first one.

"I was conscionable looking to person a bully acquisition that we could study from and conscionable effort to play bully golf, and that's really it happened. And past I conjecture I sewage nan win."

Woad, who played her first 2 rounds astatine Dundonald pinch world number 1 Nelly Korda and nan existent apical Briton Charley Hull, added: "I deliberation I've had truthful galore experiences arsenic an amateur playing successful master events.

"Playing pinch those players and being successful nan large groups, that didn't really consciousness excessively different."

The adjacent situation is to support nan momentum of this singular modulation from world number 1 amateur to nan astir talked astir existent prima successful nan master game.

"I cognize what I request to do to execute good and location are ever areas you request to necktie up connected and maintain," Woad said.

"So conscionable having bully prep and, I mean, knowing that you can't expect to play good each nan clip - particularly connected a reliable people retired here."

Such position is different motion of Woad's maturity and is simply a striking constituent to her game.

"Lottie Woad is nan astir matter-of-fact golfer that I've ever really travel across," Stupples said.

"If you show her she needs to make 3 birdies to win, she'll say: 'Oh, OK, I'll conscionable make 3 birdies then.'

"And if she does it, great; if she doesn't, it's not going to impact her 1 measurement aliases nan other. It's arsenic basal arsenic that to her.

"She has intangibles that different players don't have," added nan 2004 Women's Open winner.

"She's not acrophobic to look astatine her goals and say: 'OK, what do I person to do to execute them?' And she accepts everything astir achieving them.

"And that's wherever she differs from astir people, because astir players are a small frightened of looking astatine a leaderboard. They're a small frightened of what their guidance is going to be.

"She's not frightened of that successful immoderate way, style aliases form. And it's amazing."

Which was precisely nan connection Korda utilized to picture nan newcomer aft playing nan opening 36 holes pinch her connected nan Ayrshire seashore past week. "Absolutely amazing," said nan world number one.

"I was very impressed pinch her composure, her process. When it comes to her changeable routine, particularly nether unit and successful nan power of nan moment, sometimes group look to fidget and benignant of uncertainty themselves, but she stuck to it.

"She stuck to her process each azygous time, and I deliberation that's 1 of nan main things that I noticed is really mature she is for her property and really comfortable she was successful nan power of nan moment.

"You tin spot that she's put a tonne of hours in," Korda added. "Her putting is very solid, her game's solid, she hits it beautiful acold disconnected nan tee."

Woad has been fixed different plumb tie this week, alongside nan past 2 champions Lilia Vu and Lydia Ko, who triumphed astatine St Andrews past twelvemonth aft winning golden astatine nan Paris Olympics.

It is nan worldly of golfing dreams for nan English player. "I decidedly emotion golf," she said.

"There's truthful galore elements to it and you tin practise truthful galore things and amended successful truthful galore different ways. I conscionable emotion practising and conscionable emotion being very competitive."

Woad listened connected nan car power to nan punishment shootout that brought much glory to England's Lionesses arsenic she journeyed pinch her first master trophy from Dundonald past Sunday night.

Here now successful Wales she mightiness beryllium connected nan period of prolonging nan occurrence communicative for English women's sport. The bookies surely deliberation truthful - and they are not alone.