IRVINE, Scotland (AP) — Lottie Woad made her pro debut Thursday and not much changed. The rising English star had a 5-under 67 and was among those one shot behind Charlotte Laffar after the opening round of the Women's Scottish Open.
Laffar, who only returned to the Ladies European Tour in May after taking four years off to have two children, opened with a bogey at Dundonald Links and more than made up for that with eight birdies the rest of the way for a 66.
She led by one over five players. That group included Leona Maguire, who had a far different start to her day than Laffar. Maguire holed out from the first fairway for eagle. Nelly Korda, still searching for her first victory of the year after a seven-win season in 2024, was among those at 68.
The tournament is co-sanctioned by the LPGA and the LET, an ideal spot ahead of the final major of the year, next week's Women's British Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales.
Woad first got attention when she won the Augusta National Women's Amateur in 2023 and then rose to No. 1 in the women's amateur ranking while at Florida State. She won the Women's Irish Open three weeks ago as an amateur and then finished one shot out of a playoff at a major in the Evian Championship. That secured an LPGA card, and she turned pro.
“I'm just trying to keep as much momentum as possible and keep playing how I was playing. It worked today, so I will just try and do that again the next few days,” Woad said. “It didn’t feel too different today. I think having all the experience I’ve had in majors and contending gave me all I needed, and I didn’t really have to change much.”
Laffar, a 32-year-old from England, ran off four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine and regained the lead with a birdie at the 17th. Her husband, David, was caddying for her and they left their sons with grandparents.
“I’ve got no pressure at all,” Laffar said. “Golf is a lot of people’s lives out here, but my children are my life. So this has become more of a working hobby, I suppose you could say. I’ve just got to enjoy every moment. I don’t know how long I’m going to do it for. I will see how it goes. I’ve got to show the kids how I used to play.”
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Nelly Korda, of the United States, lines up a putt during the first round of the women's Scottish Open golf tournament, Thursday, July 24, 2025, at Dundonald Links in Irvine, Scotland. (Steve Welsh/PA via AP)
Charlotte Laffar of England, reacts after putting during the first round of the women's Scottish Open golf tournament, Thursday, July 24, 2025, at Dundonald Links in Irvine, Scotland. (Steve Welsh/PA via AP)
Lottie Woad, of England, looks over her line during the first round of the women's Scottish Open golf tournament, Thursday, July 24, 2025, at Dundonald Links in Irvine, Scotland. (Steve Welsh/PA via AP)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights for hours without explanation early Thursday as tensions remained high with the United States over Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests.
The closure ran for over four hours, according to pilot guidance issued by Iran, which lies on a key East-West flight route. International carriers diverted north and south around Iran, but after one extension, the closure appeared to have expired and several domestic flights were in the air just after 7 a.m.
Iran previously shut its airspace during the 12-day war against Israel in June and when it exchanged fire with Israel during the Israel-Hamas war. However, there were no signs of current hostilities though the closure immediately rippled through global aviation because Iran is located on a key East-West route for airlines.
“Several airlines have already reduced or suspended services, and most carriers are avoiding Iranian airspace,” said the website SafeAirspace, which provides information on conflict areas and air travel. “The situation may signal further security or military activity, including the risk of missile launches or heightened air defense, increasing the risk of misidentification of civil traffic.”
Iran in the past has misidentified a commercial aircraft as a hostile target. In 2020, Iranian air defense shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 with two surface-to-air missiles, killing all 176 people on board. Iran for days adamantly dismissed allegations of downing the plane as Western propaganda before finally acknowledging it.
The airspace closure came as some personnel at a key U.S. military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate. The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait also ordered its personnel to “temporary halt” going to the multiple military bases in the small Gulf Arab country.
The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting on Iran at the request of the United States on Thursday afternoon.
U.S. President Donald Trump made a series of vague statements Wednesday that left unclear what American action, if any, would take place against Iran.
In comments to reporters, Trump said he had been told that plans for executions in Iran have stopped, without providing many details. The shift comes a day after Trump told protesters in Iran that “help is on the way” and that his administration would “act accordingly” to respond to the Islamic Republic’s deadly crackdown.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also sought to tone down the rhetoric, urging the U.S. to find a solution through negotiation.
Asked by Fox News what he would say to Trump, Araghchi said: “My message is: Between war and diplomacy, diplomacy is a better way, although we don’t have any positive experience from the United States. But still diplomacy is much better than war.”
The change in tone by the U.S. and Iran came hours after the chief of the Iranian judiciary said the government must act quickly to punish the thousands who have been detained.
Activists warned that hangings of detainees could come soon. The security forces’ crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,615, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. The death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Demonstrators burn a poster depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in support of anti-government protests in Iran, in Holon, Israel Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
A woman mourns next to the flag-draped coffins of a group of security forces, who were killed during anti-government protests, during their funeral ceremony, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A man hands out posters of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a funeral ceremony for a group of security forces, who were killed during anti-government protests, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
People take part in a rally in support of anti-government protests in Iran, Berlin Germany, Wednesday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Policemen protect the British Embassy during a protest by hardline supporters of the Iranian government, as people ride on their motorbike in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
