THE MODERATOR: All right, hello everyone and welcome to the media center at the 2025 FM Championship. Pleased to be joined by rookie and LPGA Tour winner Lottie Woad.
This is your first start in the United States since turning professional and your win in Scotland. How does it feel being back as a professional this time?
LOTTIE WOAD: Yeah, feels great. Feels like a while since I played in the U.S. actually, probably since the U.S. Open, so been a while since I've been back. But it's nice to be bag on these types of courses.
Q. This is the second playing of the FM Championship but obviously your first time playing here. Have you had the chance to see the course at all yet?
LOTTIE WOAD: Yeah, I played 18 today. Definitely some quirks to it off the tee so you kind of need to get the right line; depending on the wind as well.
Yeah, it's a good course. Definitely got some scorable holes, and some holes you need to watch out for as well.
Q. Are you an American football fan at all?
LOTTIE WOAD: No.
Q. Is there anything you're looking forward to this week? Obviously competing in New England, women's golf hasn't really come to New England in a long time before the FM Championship. Anything you're looking forward to?
LOTTIE WOAD: I think just getting back and playing in the U.S. I'm still learning every week and each week is a new opportunity. Just kind of working out how to go about things. What you do on the practice days, how much do you do, and just managing your time.
I feel like I have a lot more time now, so not doing school I've got more time free, so working all of it out.
Q. You mentioned that when you got back to the U.S. after your win in Scotland you were going to buy a car. Have you picked out a car year?
LOTTIE WOAD: No, I haven't actually been to Tallahassee yet. This is my first time back in the U.S. Next week I'll have a look, but I think it's more about getting my driver's license first. That's probably step one.
Q. What is the plan on the driver's license?
LOTTIE WOAD: I mean, I'll just take a test at some point. I don't really know how it works in the U.S., whether have to do a theory and stuff. So I'll work that out when I get back to Tallahassee.
Q. Karen Stupples said something interesting on one of the broadcast, I think it was during the British Open, about how you figured out to mark your ball, the colors. Hoping you could explain that process and how that's helped.
LOTTIE WOAD: Yeah, I've used a red line probably for two years plus now. I kind of struggled with my aim a little bit. With my putting coach, we'd use SAM, which tells you your aim, and with black line I was being inconsistent so just tried a few different colors. In the end it came down to red or blue and he said, just pick one. I said, well, red goes with the putter shaft, so in the end I picked red and it's been way better.
Q. What is it you think about the color change?
LOTTIE WOAD: Just the brightness. The red and blue were quite bright. With the black, I feel like with the black alignment on the putter I kind of got a bit lost in it and it kind of just stands out a bit more to me.
Q. I know when you're working on things you're in the minutiae. What are you working on now? I don't know if there is any part of your game that needs attention, but you're always striving to improve things. Where are you spending your time?
LOTTIE WOAD: Yeah, I mean, I'm always working on things. I think a lot of it is similar to some stuff -- a lot of it is maintenance work in the swing. I think mainly I'm just kind of working out what I need to do each week to feel good about my game and what I need to spend more time on.
Like I obviously feel great when my wedges are dialed in, so I think just trying to make sure I spend enough time with that and getting the numbers at a tournament.
So try and do that, and then obviously you're playing new greens each week, so a lot of it comes down to pace putting as well.
Q. What about outside the ropes? Have you figured out how to unplug and relax when you're not at work?
LOTTIE WOAD: Yeah, I think so. I don't think I really ever had an issue with that. Kind of once I was off the golf course I was done with golf. I've always been pretty good at that.
Q. You talked a little bit about it CPKC, but you had that whirlwind; got to take a break. Now that you've played CPKC, here at the FM Championship, do you feel like this is where it all starts now? Was that just gravy to start and now you're really back to work?
LOTTIE WOAD: Yeah, I think so. I think now having a good run of events that I know I'm playing in I can really turn my attention to that and plan and know what I need to work on.
Before I was kind of a bit everywhere. I didn't know what I was doing or what I was playing in. Feel a bit more relaxed with that.
Q. Obviously your debut here. What's been your initial impressions of being in Massachusetts?
LOTTIE WOAD: Yeah, it's been great so far. Course is great. Similar to last week a little bit with the rough. Quite a lot of rough around the greens, so don't really want to miss it in the wrong place.
If you're good off the tee you're going to have a lot of good opportunities.
Q. When you're prepping for a golf course that requires the precision off the tee, what are you looking for out there to really pick your spots and play to your strengths off the tee box?
LOTTIE WOAD: I think you just got to have a really good line and just know what lines off the tee. I kind of like knowing where my lefts and rights are kind of with the fairway, what's the middle line and how far left and how far right do you have of that, because your line can change with the wind, so you just got to move that a little bit.
Q. Have you seen 18 yet?
LOTTIE WOAD: Yeah, I played it today.
Q. So just some of your thoughts on 18. It's a finishing hole that a lot of people always have their eye on out here.
LOTTIE WOAD: Yeah, it's interesting. I played it, it was slightly downwind today. I did get the 3-wood, but I just kind of said when I was hitting the shot, I don't think I'll do this in the tournament. It was off like a side slope. So I think it's situational; depends. It's two good hits together. The layup is interesting too because the bunker is right in the middle of the fairway, so you definitely have to concentrate on every shot.
Q. How are you managing expectations? You're used to there being noise. Now that you're a rookie, got that win under your belt, how are you keeping both your expectations and everybody's else's expectations at bay?
LOTTIE WOAD: Yeah, I think I'm pretty good at keeping my expectations on the down low. Missed the cut last week, so getting back to the start really. Just shows that even if you're playing really well you can have an off week at some point, so just kind of seeing each event as a new opportunity.
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