A masterful third-round 62 during last year’s Dana Open put Linn Grant in position to win her first LPGA Tour title.
It also created a situation golfers covet and loathe: a sizable lead.
Grant was six shots clear of second place, a seemingly insurmountable advantage. But ask Greg Norman, Rory McIlroy, and Jordan Speith about lapping the field. Mentally, the finish is taxing.
“I had played very well all week and had a great feeling about the course,” Grant said. “My thoughts were just to go out on Sunday with the same feeling and enjoy my round, not try to force any results and just try to tell myself that if I play the way I have played things should go my way.”
There was no stumbling down the stretch or conservative play that disrupted Grant’s rhythm and mechanics. For one hole, her lead dipped to two shots, but she closed with a 3-under-par 68 to finish at 21 under, two shy of Se Ri Pak’s tournament record.
The Swede is back at Highland Meadows this week to defend her Dana Open championship.
“I just have a lot of good memories,” Grant said. “I remember that I really liked this course. It reminded me a lot of playing at home as a junior, the same grass type, the layout looks very familiar, so it gives me a good feeling coming back.
“I don’t think my approach changes at all. I’m just going to go out like I did last year and play my game and play aggressively and just try to make as many birdies as possible. If there are holes I’m not happy about, let them be there. Very open mindset. I know there are a lot of opportunities out there.”
Grant is one of four former Dana Open champions in the field, joining Gaby Lopez, Jasmine Suwannapura, and Heather Bowie Young. There are 20 LPGA rookies at Highland Meadows, which has one of its weakest list of entries because of unlucky calendar placement.
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“I love this event,” Lopez said. “I think the community just reunites. We get so many volunteers, a lot of young kids coming out. I’ve seen familiar faces. I think the par 5s are really fun. You have to work your way around it to make some birdies or eagle chances. It can get windy. I think it’s a great challenge of golf.”
Entering the week, Grant has the second-best betting odds (+1000), according to FanDuel. Hae Ran Ryu is +900. Only two of the top 20 players in the Rolex rankings are in the field. Grant was in that category at the beginning of the year but has slipped to No. 23, although she did win the Scandanavian Mixed (a combined men’s and women’s event on the European Tour) in June for the second time with a chip-in birdie on the 72nd hole.
Grant only has one missed cut on the LPGA Tour this year, but she has also only finished in the top 10 twice and hasn’t been in contention on Sunday. Perhaps the good vibes at Highland Meadows will trigger something inside Grant.
“[Winning on the LPGA Tour] has been a dream of mine since I decided I wanted to be a pro golfer at 15,” Grant said. “So to have that dream come true was so rewarding. It was also a huge boost in confidence knowing that I’m now a winner on the LPGA and I have the golf to win out here.”
The competitive fire and overwhelming belief were lit during an All-American college career at Arizona State and in 2022 when Grant won four times on the Ladies European Tour, including a stunning nine-shot victory over Henrik Stenson at the Scandinavian Mixed. Any doubt that Grant had the game to win as a professional was erased.
In 13 career majors, Grant has made 11 cuts, finishing in the top 10 twice and 20 seven times. Her victory in the Dana Open, with Sunday coverage on CBS, introduced her to a larger golf audience, and she followed it up a few months later with a 3-2 record for the victorious European team in the Solheim Cup.
“There’s a lot more to (succeeding on the LPGA Tour) than only playing golf,” Grant said. “Being in contention and winning numerous times on the LET taught me a lot about how to handle situations like it. Winning a tournament demands good golf but even better mental strength and focus.”
The same approach will be needed this week at Highland Meadows, which, for the moment, has an address of Linn Grant Drive. She deemed the honor odd and special. To avoid it from being renamed, she’ll need an uptick in quality of play, if ever so slightly.
“I think the whole year I feel like I’m playing really solid,” Grant said. “Even on a bad week, I’m not playing terrible golf. Still waiting to have that momentum week where everything just goes my way. But I think coming back here, I hope this week could be it again.”
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