Lottie Woad never gave up.
The 20-year-old sophomore at Florida State was trailing by a shot with two holes to play. Her birdie putt on the par-3 16th at Augusta National Golf Club somehow didn’t drop, and her chances to win the Augusta National Women’s Amateur looked grim.
They weren’t.
Woad birdied her final two holes Saturday to win the fifth edition of the ANWA, shooting 3-under 69 in the final round and finishing at 8 under overall, beating USC freshman Bailey Shoemaker by one shot. Shoemaker had a record-setting final round, shooting a bogey-free 6-under 66 for the lowest final round in ANWA history.
ANWA: Photos from Augusta National
But it wasn’t enough, as Shoemaker started the day four shots behind Woad. Although Woad trailed by two at points during the final round, she birdied three of her final four holes to become the second international winner of the event.
On the 18th, her approach landed left of the flag and rolled back to give her an incredible look at victory. She was able to knock it in, and gave a fist pump and the trophy was hers.
She joined Arnold Palmer in 1960 and Mark O’Meara in 1998 as winners at Augusta National who birdied their final two holes to win by one shot.