THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Lottie Woad would like to meet Nelly Korda, but she’s admittedly too scared to make the approach. If the Florida State sophomore, fresh off a victory at Augusta National, keeps playing this well at the Chevron Championship, their meeting might happen naturally.
World No. 1 Korda is one shot back of leaders Jin Hee Im and Atthaya Thitikul at the Chevron Championship at 7 under, with amateur Woad sitting four shots back. Woad, 20, is making her LPGA debut this week while 25-year-old Korda has won her last four consecutive starts on tour.
Should Korda win a fifth title this week in Texas, she’d become the third player in tour history to enjoy that long of a victory streak, joining Annika Sorenstam (2004-05) and Nancy Lopez (1978).
“To win four in a row is insane,” said Woad, who earned a spot in this field by birdieing three of the last four holes at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur to win by a shot. She moved up to No. 2 in the World Golf Amateur Ranking after that victory.
Woad, who shot 69 on Friday, had to choose between joining her teammates at the ACC Championship this week and playing a major. With her coach’s blessing, she got the last seat on a flight to Houston.
Korda, meanwhile, opened Round 2 with a double bogey, hitting two shots from a fairway bunker. She bounced back with birdie on the second hole, however, and never looked back.
“I actually didn’t feel bad at all,” she said of the early misfire.
With the tees up 20 yards on the closing par 5, Korda hit 5-iron from 212 yards and two-putted for a closing birdie to shoot 69. Hae Ran Ryu, the 2023 Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year, carded a 66 to trail Korda by one.
Now, with a long wait before the start of her third round, Korda planned to get some lunch, get treatment and just chill.
“My parents are here,” she said, “so just going to go spend some time with them. Go get a good coffee and, yeah, just relax, watch a show or something.”
There’s a possibility of Korda and Woad playing together on Sunday at the Club of Carlton Woods on network television, though much can happen between now and then.
Plenty of folks on social media, however, view Korda’s victory as inevitable. Korda is quick to point out that it’s only the halfway point.
“Just going to stick to my process and vibe with it is what my coach says,” she said, smiling.
While Korda will rely heavily on the man who has been on her bag since she first started winning on tour six years ago, Woad just met her local caddie, Candy Herrera, earlier in the week.
Herrera played college golf with former Chevron winner Pernilla Lindberg at Oklahoma State and has been caddying at Carlton Woods for the past 10 years. Her husband, Daniel Rodrigues, is a pro at the club.
Herrera, who never turned professional and is caddying in her first professional event, said Woad does all of her yardages. Her main job is to keep Woad laughing and follow the lead of the other caddies.
“I try not to get in the way,” said Herrera, “so I tried to mirror what they were doing so I wouldn’t be an outlier in the group.”
Candy Herrera is a local caddie here at Carlton Woods. She played collegiate golf at Oklahoma State but never turned pro. She’s caddying in her first pro event this week with amateur Lottie Woad. pic.twitter.com/7CBKLaT2Wc
— Beth Ann Nichols (@GolfweekNichols) April 19, 2024
Woad had her father in Augusta along with her grandmother and an aunt. Her caddie for the ANWA was England national coach Steve Robinson. Her childhood swing coach was in the gallery along with her college coach and several teammates.
This week, however, Woad is mostly on her own. She’s trying to keep up with teammates at the ACCs but not so much her classes. Her first final exam is April 29 at 7:30 a.m. in American History. The Seminoles currently sit in sixth place through two rounds without Woad in the lineup.
So much has happened to Woad in the span of a fortnight that she hasn’t even had the chance to properly celebrate her last life-changing victory. Teammates welcomed her back to the airport in Tallahassee. There was a cake and former Seminole Frida Kinhult, who is in the field this week, made cupcakes. Kinhult also had an extra room for Woad at the Airbnb in Texas.
“I was trying to make sure I made the weekend,” said Woad of her aim for the week.
Now the goal is to keep moving on up.
