Woad was back in Scotland for last year’s Women’s Open, which was held over the Old Course in St Andrews.
She had missed the cut at the US Women’s Open and Evian Championship but arrived in Fife in buoyant mood for her fourth major.
Woad would be in contention all week and finish joint 10th to win the Smyth Salver as the highest-placed amateur, with another highlight being a 60-yard chip-in eagle two on the par-four last in round three.
“That got me back into the top 10 going into final day. It was a really cool moment with the grandstand full of cheering people,” she says.
“Then at the prize-giving I get to stand next to the winner, Lydia Ko. To see her lift that trophy motivates you.
“It was a perfect week. Home of golf, first Open – I couldn’t have dreamed it better.”
There was little time for celebration, though. The Curtis Cup, which pits Great Britain and Ireland’s top female amateurs against their American counterparts, was the following week.
The Americans were favourites to win a fourth successive title after domineering victories in the previous three editions of the biennial event.
But GB&I were boosted by having Europe’s victorious Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew as their leader.
And Woad, who grew up 40 minutes from the Sunningdale Old Course that hosted the event, contributed 2½ points in a nerve-shredding 10½-9½ triumph.
By that point, Woad had ascended to top of the amateur rankings, which earned her the Mark H McCormack medal. Ko won the prize three successive times from its inception in 2011, while Ireland’s Leona Maguire and rising US star Rose Zhang are also three-time recipients.
So what does 2025 hold for Woad?
The ‘P’ word is unavoidable, even if Woad will “only be making that decision when I get to it”.
Turning professional would appear to be the next logical step and Woad is on an LPGA pathway that could help accelerate that process.
“You can get an LPGA card when you reach 20 points and I’m currently on 16,” she says. “I’m trying to get 20 points this year and then we’ll have a decision to make.
“If you make a cut in a major you get a point. If you get a top-25 finish you get a point. If you win Augusta or NCAAs (National Collegiate Athletic Associations), you get two points.
“I’m trying to not think too much about it. But if I play well I’m going to get those points.”
The NCAAs are the pinnacle of collegiate golf in the US, pitting teams and individuals against each other. Woad finished runner-up in the individual competition last year, while her university team were joint 11th.
This season, Woad has posted an impressive eight consecutive top-three finishes since September. But her Florida State team-mate, 19-year-old Malaysian Mirabel Ting, has eclipsed that, winning six events since last year’s AWNA to lead the NCAA individual rankings.
Jasmine Koo is also in a field which boasts 49 of the top 50 in the world. Over the past 12 months the number two ranked player has had four wins and seven top-five finishes.
And 16-year-old Asterisk Talley is tipped to feature again. She finished joint eighth last year and went on to beat Woad in the singles at the Curtis Cup as she also enjoyed a superb 2024.
However, Woad goes into the week knowing that she has conquered Augusta National before and she will again have England Golf women’s lead coach Steve Robinson on the bag.
“That’s going to be nice, to have that familiarity,” she says. “I’m just really excited. It’s going to be a fun week, and hopefully I can be the first to defend the title.”
