AIG WOMEN'S OPEN

August 23, 2024

Lottie Woad

Mixed Zone

LOTTIE WOAD: I was playing well as soon as I put on a jacket.

Q. Was there a bet you made with your college coach this week, that she's planning on leaving tomorrow --

LOTTIE WOAD: Oh, hearing what she said, I think she said if I was in the top 10 or something, she'd stay for the Sunday or something like that.

Q. Do you know if you're in?

LOTTIE WOAD: I think I was around about that, so I don't know if she's going to change her flight or not, but we'll see if she lives up to her end of the bargain.

Q. Are there little things that you've picked up playing with the pros, not just this week --

LOTTIE WOAD: Just kind of their strategy, just kind of taking parts -- everyone was trying to take the bunkers out of play, and I tried to do that a bit today. Like on 9 I laid back and it worked out. You've just been playing into that left-to-right wind for nine holes or eight holes, and suddenly you're faced with a right-to-left wind and gorse left. It's not the most fun shot. Kind of stuff like that.

Q. (No microphone.)

LOTTIE WOAD: Really the only thing on this course is the bunkers. It's wide everywhere else, so you can just aim down the other holes and be fine.

Q. Is there a moment you can highlight where you did something that you thought, oh, I wouldn't have thought --

LOTTIE WOAD: This week? Just some of the shots around the greens. At the Evian it was pretty tricky around the greens and some of the soft kind of landing shots would just land right in front of them was pretty impressive.

Q. (No microphone.)

LOTTIE WOAD: We've never played together actually but we played in all the same stuff. Never played together.

Q. (No microphone.)

LOTTIE WOAD: Not really. I think we were both co-champions at the Annika event, though, but I didn't play with her. So I guess that was a battle down the stretch.

Q. At Evian you went out and played the par-3 when you --

LOTTIE WOAD: Wait --

Q. The par-3 at Evian, the little course?

LOTTIE WOAD: Oh, yeah.

Q. That was just making the most of the destination --

LOTTIE WOAD: Yeah, nothing else to do, can't change my flight.

Q. What have you been doing in terms of similar stuff here at St Andrews in terms of the venue and stuff?

LOTTIE WOAD: We went into St Andrews during the practice days, but we're staying in an Airbnb so just been cooking from there.

Q. So the golf course is where you're getting your --

LOTTIE WOAD: I mean, yeah, it's pretty good here.

Q. Your Girls' Junior win (indiscernible)?

LOTTIE WOAD: Yeah, it definitely helps. I've got quite a bit of experience on links golf. Carnoustie is actually not that far and it's a tough course, as well. Just got those experiences of just playing knock-down shots which is kind of what I was doing the whole front nine, which if you don't know how to do it's a bit of a struggle when it's into wind.

Q. (No microphone.)

LOTTIE WOAD: Yeah, I putted well today. There were just a few -- I mean, it's tricky with the wind. I was aiming over there and I was like, the wind is going to move it back and then it didn't. I'm like, I don't know what else I can do really. So it's just trying to not be too hard on yourself. If you start it on the line you intended, then it's a pretty good putt. It's a bit of luck in there, though, whether the wind moves it back.

Q. (No microphone.)

LOTTIE WOAD: I just try and focus on each shot individually because you need to concentrate a lot out here. Some of the holes on the front nine I was aiming like 30 yards off my target line, so just trying to pick the right lines and then commit to the shot.

Q. (No microphone.)

LOTTIE WOAD: Yeah, just kind of nothing new. Just obviously my coach is from England, so got back with him and just kind of working on the same stuff in my swing. But particularly for this week, I did a lot of practice on knock-down shots, knocking the driver down, because you're going to need it around here. I just made sure I played enough links golf over the summer, like playing the British Am, and we had home internationals up in Scotland, so just making sure I had enough experience over the summer for this.

Q. (No microphone.)

LOTTIE WOAD: Not really other than -- oh, we played Sunningdale a fair bit because the Curtis Cup is going to be there.

Q. Who's your coach?

LOTTIE WOAD: Luke Bones at my home club, Farnham Golf Club. He's been my coach since I was like seven.

Q. What's been the most fun this week?

LOTTIE WOAD: I mean, I've got a lot of people here watching me, so just playing in front of them and the crowds has been really fun, and they've been cheering quite loudly.

Q. (No microphone.)

LOTTIE WOAD: No, I'm a bit awkward. I don't really like doing that.

Q. Is this the first time your grandmother has watched you play here?

LOTTIE WOAD: Yeah. She's got quite a good record actually. She came to ANWA, she's come to this, and she's going to come to Curtis Cup. She's got a good record.

Q. (No microphone.)

LOTTIE WOAD: No, they live in Edinburgh, so they've just been driving over.

Q. (No microphone.)

LOTTIE WOAD: I mean, I don't really watch football that much. I'll go when it's there, but at the time it was a little bit better I could have gone, but yeah. I watch the result.