Home heroine Grant becomes first female winner on DP World Tour
LINN GRANT became the first female winner of a DP World Tour event with a commanding nine-shot victory at the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed in her native Sweden.
Flying the flag for the Ladies European Tour at the mixed event at Halmstad Golf Club, 22-year-old Grant saw off her male challengers in style with a nerveless display of frontrunning for a spotless final round of 64 which took her to 24 under par for the tournament.
Grant only turned professional last summer but already has three LET titles to her name in just six starts this season.
Scotland’s Marc Warren was in a tie for second on 15 under alongside tournament co-host
Henrik Stenson.
Asked if she particularly wanted to beat the men this week, Grant said: “For sure – the most important thing!
“It’s a nice feeling. All week I just felt like it’s the girls against the guys and whoever picks up that trophy represents the field.”
Grant did not put a foot wrong at Halmstad Golf Club on day four, getting off to a
lightning-quick start to extend her overnight lead from two shots to seven thanks to five birdies in her opening six holes.
After a run of three straight pars as the rain poured down, Grant, roared on by the enormous crowds that followed her wherever she went, began the back nine with successive
birdies at the 10th and 11th before picking up another shot at the 14th to get to 24 under par.
And four closing pars saw Grant keep her card clean and
secure the biggest winning margin on the DP World Tour this season.
Grant, who had her boyfriend Pontus on the bag, said: “It’s huge.
“Just playing at home and having the crowds here, my family by my side, boyfriend on the bag – it’s crazy and I’m proud of myself.
“I just hope that people recognise women’s golf, more
sponsors go to the LET and hopefully this pumps up the women’s game a little bit more.
“Pontus has been amazing, keeping me calm and doing everything right.
“The crowds are, like always, amazing. Swedish crowds!”
Grant, who also won the Joburg Ladies Open and Mithra Belgian Ladies Open on the LET this season, added: “I was actually surprisingly calm on the first tee.
“My first day with [Stenson’s fellow co-host] Annika Sorenstam was my most scary and stressful one, so today on the first fairway I told Pontus
I hope this victory is big. I hope it brings women more forward and it gets people’s eyes on us more
that I was very calm and it’s
very doable today to play with this.
“I felt happy and relieved and to be able to get in the zone and just enjoy golf for a last day was very nice. When I walked up on the 13th green, I saw the leaderboard and I saw it was eight shots and it was very relaxing to not have to change gears and I could just go out and continue doing what
I was doing.
“I hope this victory is big. I hope it brings women more forward and it gets people’s eyes on us a little bit more.
It is always nice to say that you beat the guys for a week! To be able to speak Swedish and hear everyone out there cheering for you, it was amazing.”
Stenson was full of praise for the winner.
“I think in the end I ended up tied second with a couple of late birdies and the only thing I could have done better was solo second because there was just one player out there today and she played amazing,” he said.
“Every time I looked back she was in prime position and just gave herself birdie chance one after another I would imagine, so there wasn’t much I could do against a player like that, so very well played and
congratulations to Linn.”