Seven Irish players make knockout rounds of Women's Amateur Championship

Woad holed out from 15ft for a birdie three at the fourth and followed up with another birdie at the par-3 7th

Lottie Woad bounced back from a bogey at the first by playing a 100-yard approach to the second to tap-in range for a birdie. Picture: Oisin Keniry/R&A/Getty

World No 1 Lottie Woad led the way among the qualifiers for the match play stage of The 121st Women’s Amateur Championship at Portmarnock yesterday.

Woad carded a six-under-par round of 66 to move to nine-under-par for the stroke play qualifying rounds, five ahead of her nearest challenger, Meja Ortengren from Sweden.

In calm but chilly conditions at the historic links north of Dublin, the 20-year-old from Farnham, England, bounced back from a bogey at the first by playing a 100-yard approach to the second to tap-in range for a birdie. 

Woad holed out from 15ft for a birdie three at the 4th and followed up with another birdie at the par-3 7th.

The Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion kept up the momentum with consecutive birdies on the ninth and 10th. Another two birdies in three holes from the 13th crowned an excellent round for the 2022 R&A Girls’ Amateur Champion.

Sara Byrne finished as the leading Irish qualifier in a tie for ninth position on four-over-par. Six other Irish players will join her in the knockout rounds — Annabel Wilson, Anna Foster, Kate Lanigan, Beth Coulter, Emma Fleming, and Áine Donegan. They are joined by the 2022 Women’s Amateur Champion Jess Baker, who qualified in 11th position.

The cut fell at 13-over-par. There was a six-player play-off for the final place with 64 players progressing to the match play stage today.