That’s right—the 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA) is literally inches away. We are excited to have a new crop of promising young golfers who will be teeing it up in one of junior golf’s most prestigious tournaments! Lottie Woad and Asterisk Talley are two of the early favorites. If anything, they’ve ramped up skill and form reaching their peak in numerous large scale recent competitions. This year’s competition is sure to produce the new stars of tomorrow and reinforce the brilliance of past favorites and finalists.
Lottie Woad, the 16-year-old world No1 amateur – soon to turn pro – is one of six former elite amateurs on the start sheet. Woad now has six top-five finishes in her last 11 counting events. With her power game sharpened, she will be looking forward to a longer, more competitive week in Augusta after her dream showing last year. It’s a remarkable journey that she has taken. She by turns became a household name winning both Junior and Women’s Amateur events, thus becoming just the second player ever to win both in the same calendar year.
Asterisk Talley, another of the exciting young guns, captured notice at last year’s ANWA. At only 15 years of age, she finished tied for 8 th place and stole the show. Her superb outing shot her maturing vocation in golf into hyperdrive. This year, she hopes to continue that momentum and take even more success to the next level.
Lottie Woad’s Ascendancy
Woad’s rise through the amateur golf ranks has been a story of tenacity and perseverance all the way through it. She hopes to continue her competitive streak as she did last year at this year’s ANWA after a strong season last year.
I believe right after [ANWA], it just gave me so much confidence, especially being down, coming from behind. To know that I’m never out of it,” Woad said, looking back on her life experiences.
Yet her recent statistics help to enhance her reputation. Woad has been losing ~0.25 strokes per round with her putter, the most variable factor of her overall game so this could easily fluctuate one way or the other. Her highest tournament finish this season was sixth place at last September’s Leadership and Golf College Invitational. This impressive performance proved her mettle under fierce competition.
Woad’s had a stranglehold on the junior circuit this season. He bested Talley in both match play formats, 8&7 in the Junior and 3&2 in the Women’s Amateur. Those wins have cemented her status under the capitol dome as a force to be reckon with.
“I’m really focusing on playing good golf really and seeing where that puts me,” – Lottie Woad
Asterisk Talley’s Breakthrough
Talley’s performance last year at the ANWA was incredible, especially considering her age. Tied for eighth place at just 15 years old, she surprised many and established herself as a player to watch in future tournaments.
As remarkable as Talley’s win was, he hasn’t been able to get close to that success in this season’s races so far. Yet her past successes continue to speak loudly in golf circles. Having seen her play at ANWA last year, I can tell you she has a special ability to just play her best when it’s go time.
The young golfer will bring the lessons from her previous experiences with her into this year’s competition. She plans to prove how much she’s progressed as an athlete. The ANWA provides Talley an opportunity to push herself. It enables her to continue to inspire the next generation of young golfers who dream of one day following in her footsteps.
Other Contenders
In addition to Woad and Talley, plenty of others are earning their keep when it comes to playing in the amateur scene. Perhaps most significantly, steeping Koo’s profile is the fact that he is the reigning No. 2 player in the world amateur rankings. Her string of strong performances has made her one of the favorites for this year’s title.
Shoemaker particularly shines as one of the most dangerous players in this year’s class following a breakout 2022 season. She fired an incredible 66 on Sunday! Though she hasn’t won an event since last year’s ANWA, her talent and skill has her always knocking at the door of victory. She is still very much in the game.
Shoemaker is 45th in the world amateur rankings. She knows full well the battles that lay before her and is ever the optimist about her prospects. The challenges of each round are a chance to regroup and find new ideas that can succeed.
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