Young English superstar eyes first major title in second professional start

The final major of the season lands on the south coast of Wales at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, where all eyes are on 21-year-old English superstar Lottie Woad. Woad has won twice in her last three starts, including the Scottish Open last week on her professional debut and a third-place finish at the Evian Championship as an amateur. This week, Woad faces Royal Porthcawl for the AIG Women's Open, competing in her first major as a professional and going in as one of the hot favourites alongside World No. 1 Nelly Korda. 

It is hard to watch Lottie Woad and not see the similarities with a young Jordan Spieth when he first joined the Men's tour. Both display fearless creativity and impeccable touch around the greens, a swashbuckling swing and the incredible ability to pull off the ridiculous shots when they matter most. The highlights of her practice round at Porthcawl yesterday were quite amazing. A consistent close proximity to the hole around the greens was outstanding, and it appeared that she was having lots of fun. Woad seems unfazed by the amount of attention she is receiving from the media and her peers. In an interview this week, Woad said that she wants to “just try to have fun with it and not add too much stress…I just try to block out the noise as much as possible really”. 

Even Nelly Korda was impressed by the level of maturity and composure in Lottie, noting in her press conference this week that "in the heat of the moment sometimes people seem to fidget and doubt themselves...she stuck to her process every single time".

Lottie Woad at the Scottish Open last week

Another player to look out for is Jeeno Thitikul. Jeeno is currently the highest-ranked player without a major championship despite coming devastatingly close at the Evian Championship, falling short to Grace Kim's miraculous eagle-birdie-eagle finish. Thitikul is having a terrific year, currently leading the LPGA in strokes gained, and atop both the Rolex Rankings for player of the year and the Race to CME Globe. Solid ballstriking and complete control of ball flight will be pivotal in having success this week at Porthcawl, and Jeenos' game should fit perfectly.  

The Course

The 2nd hole this week at Royal Porthcawl - *Photo by Charles Briscoe Knight

Royal Porthcawl first called upon Ramsay Huter, designer of Royal St George’s, in 1891 to design the initial layout. Hunters work was improved upon by other famous architects such as James Braid (Nairn), Harry Colt (Sunningdale), Tom Simpson (Golf de Morfontaine) and J.H Taylor. Colt arrived in 1913 to create 8 new holes, which have had slight modifications over time, yet remain true Colt designs (holes 4,5,6,8,9,14,15 and 18). The routing at Porthcawl rivals some of the best links courses in the United Kingdom. The first 5 holes ascend ever so slightly along the coastline, eventually moving further inland and higher up, ensuring ocean views from every hole on the property. The green sites are also spectacular. Much the same at Royal Portrush for the men's Open this year, Porthcawl's greens are naturally perched into the land, with gradual slopes and changes in elevation from each green meaning a different test on each approach. Regardless of the wind off the Bristol Channel (which is inevitable), precision and control will be key. 

Eds Picks:

Lottie Woad Win (8/1 )

Jeeno Thitikul Top 5 (4/1)