SPRINGBORO, Ohio – Gabby Woods got fitted for a new putter for the very first time in her life in Florida this winter and that’s turning out to be an incredibly good decision. Woods sprinted into a commanding lead at the Ohio Women’s Open Friday, thanks to a bogey-free 67 in which the new flatstick kept any scorecard blemishes at bay. 

“It’s fit for me. I don’t have to change anything,” said Woods following her round at Heatherwoode Golf Club. “I have a ton more confidence in it now. It puts my mind at ease.”

Gabby Woods tees off in her opening round of The Ohio Women’s Open.


It looked easy out there on Heatherwoode’s picture-perfect putting surfaces. Woods holed a par putt on 16 from outside 15 feet that couldn’t have been more dead center. She followed that up with a gutsy eight footer for par on the par 3 17th, rolling in a tricky putt that was quicker than it looked and fooled most of her competitors who faced the same challenge. The putter is cooperating and when Woods adds that weapon to her considerable length off the tee and consistent ball striking, grabbing big leads in tournaments feels inevitable.

“Going down to Florida this winter helped me tremendously. I was able to work on so much,” said Woods. “It was a total game changer.”

The Sabina, Ohio native and University of Findlay graduate has a pretty exceptional resume already despite only being a year out of college. Woods was the Division 2 individual national champion in 2024 (after finishing runner-up the year before) and followed that massive win with a victory in the Ohio State Women’s Amateur Championship last July. 

Woods made the match play of the US Women’s Amateur a few weeks later at Southern Hills in Oklahoma. She turned pro later that year and is now making her way through the Annika Women’s All Pro Tour. She’s playing the St. Louis Women’s Championship June 19-22.

“Most of my schedule is the WAPT this year but I’m planning on going to Q-school,” said Woods. “Hopefully my schedule changes and I can get some status [on the Epson Tour]. That would be huge”

Four players are currently tied for second and seven shots back of Woods. The final group will feature Woods along with Springboro native and Ohio University golfer Morgan Rodgers and University of Akron Women’s Golf graduate assistant coach Pan Paksanont. Paksanont played collegiate golf at USC Upstate in South Carolina before turning professional. Rodgers just finished her sophomore year in Athens and calls Heatherwoode Golf Club her home course.

Centerville’s Jenna Hayes and Dallas-based professional Lauren Miller are the other two players currently sitting T2. They’ll play in the penultimate group with Dublin’s Annika Manjunath, who plays her collegiate golf at Boston University.

2024 OWO champion Madison Reemsnyder played with Woods in the opening round and currently sits T19 after an opening 78. 

The Southern Ohio PGA Women’s Section Championship is also happening simultaneously, with four PGA of America Golf Professionals battling it out. Melissa Yeazell, PGA, and Hannah McCrabb, PGA, are both T1. Yeazell, owner of Tri County Golf Ranch and Associate Head Coach of Northern Kentucky University Women’s Golf, and McCrabb, Assistant Professional at NCR Country Club, both shot 82 in the opening round. Yeazell’s daughters, Ellie and Claire, are also in the Ohio Women’s Open field.

 

Devon Holden, PGA, of Holden Golf Sales and Ashley Thomas, PGA, of Mark McDonald Golf Academy in Cincinnati, round out the field. Holden shot 86 in her opening round. Thomas shot 89.