Lottie Woad birdied the final two hole to become the first English golfer to win the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
The 20-year-old, who studies at Florida State University, entered the final round at Augusta National with a two-shot advantage but saw her lead taken away from her as she was overtaken by America’s Bailey Shoemaker who hit a sublime bogey-free 66.
But Woad managed to wrestle back on the back nine with birdies on the 15th, 17th, and 18th, which meant she concluded the tournament with a final-round 69 on 8 under, one shot ahead of Shoemaker.
“It means so much. I watched this event when I was younger so I always wanted to play in it, try and contend and then to win it was just really special,” Woad said.
“I think the turning point for me was I had a great par save on 14, I hooked off the tee and there was no way of me stopping on that green so went long and eventually holed a 10-foot putt to stay two back.
“I knew coming in there were some good hole locations for me to get at and then managed to hole some nice putts at the end.”
This triumph for Woad means that it has guaranteed her a place in the field for the Women’s Open and the U.S. Women’s Open.