Smyth Salver

Lottie Woad cemented her status as the world’s leading amateur by winning the Smyth Salver at St Andrews.

The English youngster finished her maiden appearance in the AIG Women’s Open on one-under-par – enough to claim the honours for low amateur, ahead of Julia Lopez Ramirez, Ela Anacona and Louise Rydqvist.

The 20-year-old opened with a very respectable level-par 72 on a wild and windy Thursday. She bettered this by two on Friday to ensure her involvement over the weekend.

A superb hole-out eagle on 18 was the highlight of a fairly low-key third round – but it was enough to take a commanding five-shot lead into the final round.

However, a Sunday surge from Lopez Ramirez – five-under-through 10 – brought her to within one stroke of Woad, until the Spaniard’s round unravelled with five bogeys on the back nine.

Woad – who, in April, became the first European winner of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur – began her final round in ominous fashion by birdieing the 1st. A bogey on the 4th and a double-bogey at the 8th tested her mettle, but the Florida State University student held firm before rounding off a magical week with a birdie on 18.

Although Lopez Ramirez – second in the World Amateur Golf Rankings – was unable to catch Woad, she was delighted with her week’s work.

She said: “It's been a good week. [I] played pretty solid golf, and especially today, I was 5-under through 13, so [there] was a lot of good golf out there.

“I think that's something that I can take home for the future.

“I really enjoyed the course and my golf out there. It's something I'm going to remember forever … I would love to come back here.”

The 21-year-old also revealed the close bond between all the amateurs in the field this week.

“We all know each other,” she said. “So it's fun to all be playing the same event and make the cut. [It] makes us all really happy and show[s] us that college actually teach us something to use in pro golf.”

Anacona echoed Lopez Ramirez’s sentiments.

She said: “It's been wonderful, an amazing experience playing [at] St Andrews and the AIG Women’s Open for the first time. I'll never forget it.

“I woke up this morning, and I'm playing on a [major] Sunday … it's been crazy. I made birdie on the last hole, so it's awesome.

“I'm so proud that almost all of us made it throughout the week. I think it means a lot that the amateurs are doing great.”

Amateur finishers:

-1 Lottie Woad
+3 Julia Lopez Ramirez
+7 Louise Rydqvist
+10 Ela Anacona