Twelve months ago, Lottie Woad arrived at Evian-les-Bains in France as a teenager hoping to earn her LPGA Tour card. Now she's leading the Evian Championship.
The 22-year-old from England shot a remarkable seven-under 64 in Friday's second round, racking up eight birdies with just one bogey to sit at 11 under par overall — one stroke ahead of Japan's Aki Iwai. Her career journey is striking: she only turned professional in 2025 and already has three tournament wins to her name. She's now ranked fourth in the world.
"I've got obviously nice memories from last year here and I like the golf course, so I think that definitely helps," Woad said after her round. She finished tied for third at this same event in 2025, so clearly the lakes and mountains of this spa town suit her game.
What's working for her? She says she's improved slightly in every area — but the biggest change is mental. "I think I've just got slightly better in all areas. Nothing too different. I think just mentally been in these positions a bit more so I think I'm a little calmer under pressure," she explained.
That calm showed on Friday. After a bogey at the par-four 10th hole, she bounced back with three straight birdies. She even narrowly missed an eagle putt on the 18th hole before tapping in for birdie.
The temperatures were brutal — around 33°C as she played in the afternoon wave — but Woad came prepared. "You just don't really get much breeze. That's the thing that makes it hot," she said. "I used a sun umbrella today and that was certainly better than yesterday. And I pretty much refilled my water every hole."
She's now two clear shots ahead of the field heading into the weekend, with Japan's Mao Saigo and South Korea's Haeran Ryu, who won the Women's PGA Championship last month, both sitting at eight under. Englishwoman Charley Hull and Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul are among four players tied for fifth at six under.
For Woad, this feels like a home game of sorts — not just because of last year's memories, but because it was here, on these same fairways, that her professional dreams became reality. Now she's one step closer to something even bigger.