Woad has proven Bond and her staff correct in their early evaluations of Woad, as her accomplishments in the first three tournaments of her Seminole career have her as the nation’s only freshman on the ANNIKA Award Watch List for the fall 2022 season. She is averaging 69.00 strokes in the first eight rounds of her career, and she became just the sixth freshman in school history to earn an individual championship as she finished in a tie for first place at the Ivy Intercollegiate.
Woad and her teammates begin playing in their final tournament of the fall season – the 20thth Annual Landfall Tradition – on Friday at the Country Club of Landfall. It’s one of the top events of the fall season in women’s collegiate golf with the No. 16 Seminoles competing against four top 20 teams (No. 2 Wake Forest, No. 5 South Carolina, No. 13 Duke, and No. 19 San Jose State) as well as eight other teams ranked within the nation’s top 50.
A total of 18 teams will compete for the championship. South Carolina enters as the defending tournament champions. The Seminoles are making their ninth appearance in the championship and finished in second place in the team standings in 2003.
Florida State’s lineup of senior Amelia Williamson, juniors Charlotte Heath and Alice Hodge, along with freshmen Jacqui Putrino and Woad will play together in its third consecutive event after winning the championship of the Schooner Fall Classic and finishing in second place in the Ivy League Intercollegiate.
The Seminoles’ early season success is among the many reasons Woad chose to become a Seminole.
“Florida State is a really good program,” said Woad. “I made my choice mainly based on Coach Bond and her staff and everything the university had to offer. I could see myself working with them because of the way they worked and how they worked when I was speaking with them. Florida State has had great players, the facilities here are amazing. Every aspect of Florida State really made me want to come here.”
Woad, who was introduced to the game of golf by her father, began taking lessons when she was seven years old.
She has continuously worked to improve her game, graduating through the levels of the English national program to become one of the most accomplished junior golfers in recent years.
“Lottie works really hard and it’s definitely showing in the way she’s playing,” said Heath. “I’m excited to see what she does the rest of the season.”
Woad played alongside Seminole teammates Heath and Williamson as England won the European Ladies Team championship this past summer.
Along with her success on the golf course in the first three tournaments of her Seminole career, Woad has made a comfortable transition to life at Florida State University.
“Setting in to a new environment took a bit of getting used to,” said Woad. “My life in America is quite a bit different than it is in England. I had a lot of stuff to sort out especially with school and getting used to the different kinds of classes I was taking. I also had to adjust to being more independent and away from my family.
According to Bond, Woad’s transition has been almost seamless.
“Lottie has transitioned very well to life and golf here in the US,” said Bond. “She has adjusted pretty quickly to the different grass and obligations of being a college student athlete. The quality of her golf and grades are impressive this early in the year. I am proud of how she has handled the differences here in the US and she has done it with a smile on her face.”
Woad is also excited about her progress in her first semester as a Seminole, both in the classroom and on the course.”
“My best accomplishment so far at Florida State has been winning the Ivy League Intercollegiate,” said Woad. “I was in contention in my first two events and didn’t quite get the wins, but I learned a lot from both experiences. I was happy I got a win in my third event, although I didn’t think I was going to earn a win that quickly.
As she tees off in Friday’s first round of the Landfall Tradition, Woad can expect more success, both on and off the course, throughout her career.
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