Top Amateur Lottie Ward Makes Surprise Move to Turn Professional

Victory at the Irish Open, Third Place at the Evian Championship
Missed Out on Nearly 869 Million Won in Prize Money from Two Tournaments
Begins Full-Fledged Professional Career at the Scottish Open Next Week

Amateur golf standout Lottie Ward (England) has decided to turn professional.

On July 15 (local time), she announced on her social media, "I will now begin my professional career," and added, "I am grateful to everyone who has helped me reach this point." Just two days after saying she would "discuss it with her family" regarding turning pro following the Amundi Evian Championship, a major tournament on the LPGA Tour held last week, she made the decision to go professional.

Lottie Ward is teeing off on the 4th hole of the 4th round at the Amundi Evian Championship. EvianlesBains, France - Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Ward has recently been at the center of attention in women’s golf. Earlier this month, she won the Ladies European Tour (LET) KPMG Women’s Irish Open, and then finished tied for third at the major Amundi Evian Championship, which concluded on July 13. Because she was an amateur, she passed up both the winner’s prize of 67,500 euros (about 109 million won) at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open and the third-place prize of 547,200 dollars (about 760 million won) at the Amundi Evian Championship, allowing the prize money to go to lower-placed players. The total prize money she was unable to claim from these two tournaments amounts to nearly 869 million won.

Ward immediately earned LPGA Tour membership through the Elite Amateur Pathway (LEAP), which grants tour status to top-performing amateur players. According to the Associated Press, "Ward, who is currently attending Florida State University in the United States, plans to leave college to focus on her tour schedule," and "Ward will officially begin her professional competition at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open next week."