Could Lottie Woad be Augusta National Women’s Amateur’s first repeat champion?

EVANS, GA (WJBF) – Let the games begin.  

You know it’s springtime in Augusta when the azaleas begin to bloom, and the golf traffic begins to swell.  

That’s when the talk turns from the latest high school basketball teams to take over Macon Coliseum to storylines adjacent to Augusta National and all things golf.  

Though the 89^th Masters Tournament doesn’t begin for another 10 days, the fervor of anticipation is steadily growing.  

And, as any good gentlemen would say, even with Augusta National, it’s “ladies first,” as the Augusta National Women’s Amateur tees off Wednesday at Champions Retreat in Evans before shifting to the labyrinth zone that is Augusta National Golf Club.

It could be a year of firsts this year – well, honestly, we could technically say that about every year. But, for some reason, the feeling for something exceptional seems palpable this year.  

Can Lottie Woad run it back? 

There’s never been a repeat ANWA champion since the tournament debuted back in 2019. Lottie Woad, last year’s champion, is back and stands as good a chance as any past ANWA winner to break bust up that statistic.  

Since taking home last year’s title, the England native and Florida State golfer has racked up an impressive array of accomplishments, including her rise to No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings back in June 2024. 

Additionally, she finished runner-up to Adela Cernousek in the individual NCAA Division I women’s golf championship. She became the first woman from England to win the Mark H. McCormack Medal and, in the same breath, was awarded the Smyth Salver for being low medalist at the Women’s British Open.  

What does it all mean? Simply put, she’s one of the more decorated ANWA champs in the tournament’s aftermath that we’ve seen in its short-lived history.  

Here are the contenders

She’ll have stiff competition, though. Starting with 19-year-old Californian Jasmine Koo who is currently No. 2 in the rankings. She finished fourth in last year’s ANWA and T-13 in the Chevron Championship, earning low amateur honors.  

A couple of South Carolina Gamecock standouts could give her a run, including 23-year-old Louise Rydqvist who is originally from Värnamo, England and is ranked ninth among World Amateurs, and Eila Galitsky, a South Carolina freshman who’s making her third ANWA start. She finished T-8 last year.  

Umbrellas or sunscreen?

While showers and thunderstorms Monday provided some anxious moments for those hoping for pristine conditions for The Masters’ ultimate run-up, weather for Tuesday’s practice rounds at Champions couldn’t have been much better.  

As for the rest of the week, temperatures could begin approaching early summer-like feel. Wednesday’s forecast high is 80 degrees with mostly cloudy skies, but little chance for precipitation. But Thursday and Friday’s temps may reach the 90-degree mark, again likely staying dry.  

Meet me at First Tee

Arguably the most-watched grouping will be Group 15 as Woad, Koo and Rydqvist will tee off from the No. 1 tee Wednesday morning at 9:44 a.m., while eighth-ranked Kiara Romero will tee off from the spot at 9:55 a.m. along with Maria Jose Marin and one of the field’s youngest players, 17-year old Gianna Clemente who finished T-5 in last year’s ANWA.  

WARG No. 3 Mirabel Ting, a Florida State junior originally from Miri, Malaysia, will start at the first tee at 10:07 a.m. along with Amanda Sambach and Mamika Shinchi.  

Plenty of storylines are sure to emerge over the next few days, both with ANWA and as we get closer to official Masters week. Get your golf fix daily over the next two weeks during our on-air sports casts as well as our ANWA Updates blog here at wjbf.com.