Lottie Woad Battles Expectations as Rhodes and Japanese Stars Shine
What a dramatic first day it's been at the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl! The atmosphere was buzzing, but the spotlight was clearly on England’s Lottie Woad, who came into the tournament as the red-hot favorite. Fresh off her professional debut win at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open and riding a wave of top-three finishes, expectations were sky-high. But golf, as we know, doesn’t always follow the script.
Woad got things going with a birdie on the very first hole, which definitely raised hopes for another dominant round. But from there, her round turned into a bit of a rollercoaster. She dropped a shot at the third after her chip from the bunker ran off the green, and the inconsistency continued. Four birdies and four bogeys added up to an even-par 72—not terrible, but certainly not the charge many had anticipated. She finished the day five shots behind the co-leaders.
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And who are those leaders? Two rising stars from Japan: Eri Okayama and Rio Takeda. They both carded impressive five-under rounds to set the pace early. Takeda even managed to bounce back from a double bogey at the seventh with a flurry of late birdies. Okayama was also steady, shaking off an opening bogey with six birdies. Japan clearly came to play, with several of their players clustered near the top, including Mao Saigo and Chisato Iwai.
Among the British contingent, it was Mimi Rhodes who really stole the spotlight. She turned in a fantastic round of three-under 69, putting herself just two shots back and leading the charge for the home fans. Her front nine was electric, capped off by an eagle on the par-five ninth. She’s had a strong season on the Ladies European Tour, and it looks like she’s carrying that confidence into this major.
As for the marquee group, Woad was paired with Lydia Ko and Lilia Vu—three big names, all drawing attention. Each started strong with a birdie on the first, but it didn’t last. Vu stumbled badly with four straight bogeys right after, and Ko finished at one-over. Woad’s highlight came on the 14th with a nice birdie, but even that was tempered by a bogey on 15. At one point, she even hit a spectator with a tee shot—thankfully, no harm done—and salvaged par after a lucky bounce.
Despite the ups and downs, Woad remains in striking distance. As she put it, it was “definitely a bit mixed.” She acknowledged the pressure and buildup around her coming into this event, and while she didn’t quite meet the hype today, a strong second round could flip the story entirely.
So the stage is set. The leaderboard is tight, the talent is deep, and with names like Nelly Korda, Jeeno Thitikul, and Minjee Lee all lurking, anything can happen over the next few days. One thing’s for sure—the AIG Women’s Open is already delivering on drama.
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