Augusta, GA

This World No. 1 has the chance to become the first to go back-to-back at Augusta National

Published

9 months ago

April 4, 2025

This World No. 1 has the chance to become the first to go back-to-back at Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Lottie Woad doesn’t like condiments. Give her a sandwich, preferably ham and cheese, with nothing on it. No sauce for her steak. She loves spaghetti but likes her pizza white.

“I can’t convince her that the sauce in spaghetti is the same that’s on a pizza,” said Florida State coach Amy Bond, who calls her star player “particular.”

“She knows what she wants,” said Bond, “and she’s not afraid to tell you.”

That particular approach applies to the way the No. 1 player in the world goes about her business on the golf course. Bond calls her the hardest worker she’s ever coached. She’s used the same ball marker since the age of 12.

She’s funny, in a dry sort of way, and while she’s more comfortable speaking to the media than she was a year ago, it’s still not her favorite thing. The reserved Woad is interested in one thing: being the best. And, as Bond has said, she’s got the stomach for it.

“She’s not afraid to take chances on the golf course,” said Bond, “she’s aggressive, and she’s not afraid of failure.”

Defending champion Lottie Woad tied for lead after 36 holes

That much was on full display at last year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur, where Woad stormed to the title with birdies on three of the last four holes.

Now she’s in position to do it again, holding a share of the lead with Kiara Romero heading into Saturday’s final round at Augusta National. Given how short the window is to win this event, back-to-back ANWA victories should prove to be an exceptionally rare kind of feat.

“I think I can definitely use last year,” said Load. “I had the lead and then lost it. Tomorrow if that happens again, then I’d know that I’ve come back from there before.”

The Woad highlight reel includes victories at Carnoustie, Augusta National, Baltusrol and a top 10 at the AIG Women’s British Open at St. Andrews. She returns to Augusta National a better player in a number of ways, said Luke Bone, her swing coach since age 7. She’s faster and stronger, hitting it 10 yards farther off the tee with a 260-plus carry. Her wedge game, Bone gushed, is now world class.

Then there’s the experiences she’s had, playing in four LPGA majors. While the hole-out on the 18^th at the Old Course is the highlight everyone remembers, Bone, who was on the bag, said the opening 72 in outrageous wind – starting on the back nine – was the most impressive part of British Open week. Bone said she gained four strokes on the field with that round.

Back on the bag this week is England national coach Steve Robinson, who was instrumental in helping Woad plot and prep for last year’s final round. He also delivered a pep talk on the 13th hole that wasn’t fit for print.

Down two with five holes to play, Woad points to a par save on the 14th that kickstarted a finish for the ages.

After a Friday practice round around Augusta with Robinson, Woad reported that the greens are a little firmer this year. She’ll be careful about which pins she attacks. She’s got her notes from last year and likely more confidence about what’s to come than anyone else in the field.

Woad put down a ghost hole on the 18th green Friday to try to recreate the winning putt from last year. She missed it this time and had a good laugh. In keeping things similar to last year, she once again skipped playing the Par 3 Course but did skip on the par-3 16th.

Woad and her teammate, Mirabel Ting, pooled their tickets together so that everyone on the Florida State team could come watch the final round. With five freshmen on the roster, there’s plenty of room for inspiration.

It’s highly probable that this will be Woad’s final crack at Augusta. Though she’s only a junior, she currently leads the LPGA’s new LEAP (LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway) program with 16 points. A victory this week is worth two points, and she needs to get to 20 to secure her LPGA card. The McCormack Medal winner, given to the top-ranked amateur following the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship in August, receives four LEAP points.

If Woad gets to 20 points before July 1, she can accept immediate membership for the current calendar year or defer until July 1 and play the rest of 2025, plus the 2026 season.

If she gets to 20 points after July 1, she can accept her card for the remainder of the current LPGA season as well as 2026. She could also defer entirely until 2026.

But first, there’s a bit of history on the line.

“She feels comfortable in these situations,” said Bone. “I think she’s been waiting for this event, in some form.”

Only one more sleep.

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Augusta, GA

Augusta man missing off Georgia coast as search continues

Published

5 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

Augusta man missing off Georgia coast as search continues

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Coast Guard and McIntosh County Fire Department continued searching Friday for an Augusta man who went missing off the Georgia coast, as a body was found Thursday.

Roman Waldera’s daughter spoke about the last conversation she had with her father before he disappeared while fishing.

“I actually spoke to my dad in the morning he went missing. We talked back and forth a little bit and then he told me, well, I’m on the boat. I’ve got to get going. We’re going to start fishing. And I was like, all right, we’ll be careful. I love you,” she said.

The Coast Guard called her after Waldera went missing.

“After we got the call, my first goal was to get down there and start searching the island of Blackbeard,” she said.

Community joins search efforts

Shellman’s Fish Camp and other local boat owners joined the search in Sapelo Sound.

“I mean, everybody in the area who had a boat, they were on the sound, and it ended up, I was coordinating with the Coast Guard this whole time,” Waldera’s daughter said.

She said her father’s teachings motivated her to take action.

“So my dad raised me and my grandparents to get it done. Don’t wait around. Don’t sit around. Don’t wait for someone else to do the work. If someone’s going to make it happen, it’s going to be you. And I just, I thought, what would my dad want? He’d want me down there and he would want me looking,” she said.

She described what she would do if reunited with her father.

“I think I just hugged him. I think he just hugged me because I think he knows that I was down there. I was all alone doing that, looking for him all day long. I slept in his room. I think he knows. I think he knows everything, and I don’t think there need to be any words. I think we just love each other,” she said.

The Coast Guard asks anyone with information about the disappearance to call 843-453-1261. Officials said crews not part of the official search can create unsafe conditions and hinder response efforts.

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Augusta, GA

Former WWE stars involved in ‘Wrestling for a Cause’ event in Augusta

Published

17 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

Former WWE stars involved in ‘Wrestling for a Cause’ event in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The community wrestled for a cause at the Georgia-Carolina fairgrounds Saturday night.

Famous wrestlers from the WWE came to the CSRA for the show.

Silent Fights raised money for a local family that lost their home to a fire, as well as former WWE star Toni Rose, who is battling cancer.

Former WWE stars like Johnny Swinger and Heath Slater made appearances.

We spoke with these headliners and CSRA Championship Wrestling about the event.

This is definitely the biggest card of the year. WWE star here, Heat Slater, myself, TNA, WWE, all the major organizations. And we got some good young up and coming talent here that’s going to go out there and tear it up and do the best that we can,” said Swinger.

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Augusta, GA

Is weed legal in Georgia after Trump signs order to reclassify marijuana?

Published

1 day ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

Is weed legal in Georgia after Trump signs order to reclassify marijuana?

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday, Dec. 18, reclassifying marijuana as a Scheduled III narcotic, a drop from the more severe Scheduled I narcotic it had been classified in for nearly 6 decades.

Since 1970, marijuana has been classified as a Schedule I drug, the same category as heroin, LSD, methaqualone and ecstasy. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) describes Schedule I substances as having no “medical use and a high potential for abuse.”

A review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found “scientific support for its use to treat anorexia related to a medical condition, nausea and vomiting, and pain,” Trump said in the executive order.

That review came after former President Joe Biden suggested his administration take a look at reclassifying the drug in 2023. The Department of Health and Human Services also recommended that year that marijuana be reclassified based on widespread use of medical marijuana across 43 U.S. jurisdictions for more than 6 million registered patients to treat at least 15 medical conditions, the EO said.

Is marijuana now legal in Georgia?

Not yet. In fact, it’s only in the infancy of review at the federal level. Lawmakers in Georgia will have to decide if it will allow marijuana at a state level.

Many states, however, 24 to be exact, have already legalized marijuana before Trump’s order, although Georgia remains on the sidelines.

While 24 states have adopted laws allowing adults to purchase and consume cannabis for non-medical use, Georgia continues to prohibit it.

But what does the Peach State allow medically?

Has Georgia legalized recreational marijuana?

No, Georgia does not allow adult-use of cannabis.

According to NORML, possession for personal use, even under an ounce, is punishable as a misdemeanor with up to 12 months in jail or up to a $1,000 fine.

Possessing more than an ounce is a felony, carrying penalties of 1 to 10 years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine.

Does Georgia allow marijuana medically?

Georgia allows marijuana for medical purposes only, and exclusively in the form of low-THC oil (5% THC or less). Registered patients can possess up to 20 fluid ounces.