Swedish star Linn Grant who emerged winner of the Volvo Car Scandinavian Open missed event at Helsingborg on Sunday. Image courtesy LET.
By Rahul Banerji
Linn Grant made it a double to remember at the 2024 Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed Open having started 11 strokes behind overnight leader Sebastian Soderberg in her hometown of Helsingborg in Sweden on Sunday.
It was a remarkable run by the smooth-striking Grant who claimed a one-stroke win over Söderberg having hauled in a 11-stroke deficit on her compatriot who had led from the start of the tournament.
In 2022, Grant made history by becoming the first woman to win on the DP World Tour and has now become the first woman to win twice.
Grant fired a bogey-free 7 under par 65 to post the clubhouse lead of 17-under-par at the Vasatorps Golf Club. Söderberg was still ahead by a stroke on hole 18 but double-bogeyed it to hand the title to Grant.
The comeback from 11 shots was the biggest comeback win on DP World Tour, which was co-sanctioning the event with LET.
Behind the two Swedes, Shubhankar Sharma ended a disappointing tournament with a slippery closing run to finish in a share of 59th place.
Slipping up
Sharma’s final round of 5 over 77 after earlier scores of 69, 69 and 71 ended with a sequence that read bogey, double bogey, birdie and triple bogey in the last four holes.
Earlier, India’s other Paris Olympic qualifier Diksha Dagar missed the cut in the event which had 78 entrants from the Ladies European Tour and 78 from the DP World Tour playing for a common title and prize pool.
Diksha returns to action at the Italian Ladies Open next week, while there is no event on the DP World Tour as the US Open will be played this week at Pinehurst.
Scotland’s Calum Hill produced a final round of 3 under 69 to finish in a share of second place alongside Söderberg on 16 under par.
LET winner Johanna Gustavsson shared fourth place with England’s Alex Fitzpatrick and Andy Sullivan on 13 under par.
“I have very mixed emotions,” Grant, who had been warming up on the range in case of a playoff, said on the LET website. “Like I said before, I feel honestly terrible for Sebastian at the moment.
“I don’t even have words for it. I can’t imagine how he feels. At the same time, I’m so surprised standing here as a winner again, in my hometown. It’s amazing.
“Honestly, I just tried to go out today and give myself the opportunity. I didn’t think about the chance of winning – 11 shots is a huge gap.
“I just wanted to go out, have fun, make as many birdies as possible and enjoy it with my brother on the bag and being at home.
“The abrupt finish of the tournament was just different. It’s my first time experiencing a win like that. It hasn’t really sunk in yet. I’m so speechless. I can’t really believe it.”
Solheim Cup star Grant made back-to-back birdies on holes two and three, holes five and six, and holes nine and ten.
Her final birdie of the day came on hole 18 when Grant chipped in from the rough which was enough to seal her sixth LET title.
Also read: Diksha, Shubhankar tee it up at Scandinavian Open mixed event
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