Welcome to this week’s Golf Insider, everyone!
On Sunday, May 17, Lottie Woad birdied her way to a win at the 2026 Kroger Queen City Championship in Cincinnati. After setting the 54-hole tournament scoring record with rounds of 70-64-65, Woad shot a final-round 69 (-1) to post 12-under-par to claim her second LPGA Tour title.
Woad posted 21 birdies throughout her four rounds, the second-most among the Queen City field. But the most important birdie came on her 71st hole.
After a bogey on the par 4 13th hole, Woad made par on the next three holes to stay at 11-under-par for the tournament. Haeran Ryu, who was chasing from one group in front of her, birdied that same hole, setting her just one stroke back of Woad at 10-under-par.
When Ryu parred out into the club house with a final-round 67, all that was left for Woad to do was stay calm and stay cool. She had a stroke in hand on Ryu, but if she bogeyed one of her last two holes, that would send the two to a playoff.
“I think it was just trying to focus on each hole individually. Not trying to think too far ahead,” Woad said in her post-win press conference on May 17.
“Yeah, I mean, I knew Haeran [Ryu] was on a good run. I knew there was some chances coming up, so tried to stay in my lane a little bit.”
But, on hole 17, Woad confidently drained a downhill birdie putt to move to 12-under-par, two shots clear of Ryu. With only one hole remaining, the par-3 18th, the Englishwoman had all but sealed the win.
“Not an easy putt from where I was above the hole with a lot of break, and had a little pace going in, so pretty glad I hit the hole,” Woad said.
“Gave me a two-shot cushion on a par-3, so pretty happy with that.”
Woad went on to par the last hole and secure her victory at Maketewah Country Club. The victory was the 22-year-old’s first since she won in her professional debut at the 2025 Scottish Open. It’s also her second win in 19 starts on the LPGA Tour. With that, she became the fastest player to two wins since Sung Hyun Park in 2017.
“Yeah, very happy to win my second one. Definitely feels like a bit longer than that I would say because obviously first one was my first start,” Woad said.
“So kind of seeing how strong everyone is out here, so definitely feels a lot nicer to get the second one I would say.”
I think it was especially nice for Woad to get this win in Queen City because her compatriot, Charley Hull, was the last Englishwoman to nab a win not only in this tournament, but on the LPGA Tour. Since this year is a Solheim Cup year, it’s huge for Woad to be hot at the right time. If the European side could add some of her youthful firepower to their squad, they may take an edge on home soil.
The LPGA Tour is off this week, but the LET is visiting Morocco for the Lalla Meryem Cup, where another Englishwoman, Cara Gainer, looks to defend her title. The LPGA will be back on May 29 with another stint in New Jersey at the ShopRite LPGA.
See you next week, golf fans.
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This week in women’s golf
LPGA News
Michelle Wie West channels childhood memories into a new golf course design venture
ShopRite reinforces commitment to women’s golf with “Team ShopRite” and additional incentives
Lottie Woad wins Kroger Queen City Championship for second LPGA Tour title
Late charges lift Miyu Yamashita, Ruoning Yin and Jin Young Ko into top five in Cincinnati
Haeran Ryu finishes second at Kroger Queen City Championship
LET News
LET heads to Morocco for 29th Lalla Meryem Cup
Alexander leads Order of Merit again heading into Lalla Meryum Cup
Gainer aiming to stay patient and repeat heroics at Lalla Meryem Cup
Haddioui excited to play host during “special week” in Morocco
Harm clinches maiden LET title with victory on home soil
Harm’s resilient victory: From near death to comeback queen
Allen named PGA female trainee of the year, sponsored by the LET
Epson Tour News
Epson Tour announces Pure Michigan Cup competition returning for 2026 Midwest swing
Fiona Xu becomes two-time Epson Tour winner at 2026 Copper Rock Championship
Gina Kim battles through playoff to punch ticket to U.S. Women’s Open
Amateur/NCAA News
USGA finalizes U.S. Curtis Cup roster ahead of 44th competition at Bel-Air
Meet the 10 finalists for the 2026 Annika Award
Five at The IX: Five storylines ahead of the 2026 NCAA DI Women’s Golf National Championship
The 2026 NCAA DI Women’s Golf National Championship tees off tomorrow, May 22, in Carlsbad, Calif. Last week, we took a look at each team and individual to advance to the national championship. This week, I wanted to give you five of my top stories heading into the tournament. From stroke play success to match play upsets, there’s quite a bit to keep an eye on, and nothing is a guarantee.
May the course be with you
For the past three years, Omni La Costa Resort played host to the NCAA DI Golf National Championship. It’s a familiar track for the national championship staples, like Stanford, USC and Texas. Returning teams and players have yet another opportunity to use their experience to their advantage at this course.
Carlsbad will continue to host the national championship through 2028, so the younger players who still have more championships ahead of them will surely be taking notes.
Northwestern defends
Defending champion Northwestern heads to their fourth straight NCAA national tournament after finishing fourth in their region. Leading the charge for the Wildcats is junior Ashley Yun, who posted a tournament total of 5-under-par to win her second career individual title.
Northwestern also has leadership from senior Dianna Lee; it’s her fourth national championship appearance in her four years at Northwestern. These players, especially those from the 2025 National Championship team, are no stranger to match play. But they’ll need to post a good showing in stroke play to get to that stage.
Stanford’s stroke play dominance
In last year’s stroke play portion of the championship, it was no surprise that Stanford posted an insurmountable score. The Cardinal shot a team total of 27-under-par to snatch the first seed in the match play portion.
Given Stanford’s record-setting performance in this year’s regional tournament, look for them to post some solid numbers in the stroke play rounds. And if they advance to match play, they’ll surely seek vengeance for that runner-up finish last season.
Individual title up for grabs
There are several names I’d throw into the mix for individual champion this season. One, of course, is María José Marín, who looks to defend her individual title for Arkansas in her junior year. The 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion is already having a standout season and now sits at No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. I’d expect Majo to put up some great numbers and help Arkansas to the match play phase.
Keeping with the regional trend, keep an eye on the winner of the Louisville regional, Anna Davis. Davis is in her junior season at Auburn and will try to help the No. 7 ranked team to a match play spot. Davis now has six career victories, which sets Auburn’s program record. As Auburn makes a push for their first national championship in program history, look out for Davis to lead them.
Underdogs and match play upsets
Match play is a completely different beast, especially in the national championship. We saw this last year, when Northwestern took down No. 1 Stanford to win its first national title. Even if you finish at the top of the stroke play leaderboard, there is no guarantee you’ll cruise through match play. Those one-on-one battles are just that: battles.
That being said, look out for teams like Northwestern, Ohio State, Texas A&M and Pepperdine. They may not have finished first in their regions, but each team has a loaded roster with firepower that can take down the best of them.
All teams have to do is finish in the top eight after stroke play. When you draw your opponent in match play, your slate is blank. It’s anybody’s game. So definitely look for an underdog to make a statement and take down a top seeded team.
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