Sweden’s Linn Grant beats men to win the golf competition on the European Tour
Pontus Lundahl
Linn Grant of Sweden poses with the trophy after beating male and female golfers to win Scandinavian Mixed at Halmstad Golf Club in Sweden.
A female player has won an event on the European men’s golf tour for the first time and Linn Grant wrote history in fantastic style as well.
The 22-year-old Swede wiped out a field of both male and female golfers at Scandinavian Mixed on Monday (NZT), and won by nine strokes after 8-under 64 in the final round at Halmstad Golf Club.
Remarkably, she finished 14 strokes ahead of the second best woman, Gabriella Cowley, who placed tied for 15th place.
DP World Tour
Linn Grant “so proud” after historic win.
“I just hope people recognize women’s golf more now,” Grant said, “that more sponsors go to the LET (Ladies European Tour) than to the men’s tour, and hopefully this pumps up the women’s game a little more.”
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Grant started the day with a two-stroke lead and steadily built up her advantage by making a birdie on five of her first six holes, which showed the brilliant ball-playing and calm temperament she has shown all week in southern Sweden.
She first took a nine-stroke lead after dropping in for a birdie on the par-5 11th hole and regained it with her eighth and final birdie for the round on another par 5, the 14th. She spent a bogey-free weekend during the week of her golf life.
It is the second event of a tournament that started with 78 men and 78 women in the field, playing the same course – albeit off different tees – for a prize fund and a trophy.
Grant said her main goal this week was to beat the men.
“That was the most important thing – all week I just felt like it was girls against the boys,” she said.
Grant’s grandfather, James, was a Scottish golf professional who emigrated from Inverness in northern Scotland to Helsingborg in Sweden. Her father, John, also played on the Swedish Golf Tour and has seven victories on the Swedish Senior Tour.
Grant became a pro last year and won competitions on the Ladies European Tour in March and May, which marked her as a rising star. In a course interview on the first nine, Grant said having these two victories under her belt made her feel calm as she entered the biggest lap of her life.
Her boyfriend, Pontus, was her caddy this week and her mother was on the course and among those cheering Grant to every green on a day of changing weather.
Swedish big man Henrik Stenson, who hosted the event with compatriot Annika Sorenstam, shot 70 and shared second place with Marc Warren (65).
Sorenstam, one of the greatest female golfers ever, embraced Grant next to the 18th green after the victory was over.
Grant won 30,000 euros (49,650 NZD) when he won in Belgium last month. She received more than 10 times as much this Monday.