Linn Grant has made history – for the second time. The Swede was the first woman to win a DP World Tour in 2022 when she won the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed. Now she repeated her success when she won the title again in her home town of Helsingborg at Vasatorps Golfklubb with a final round of 65 and a total score of 17 under par. At the same time, her compatriot Sebastian Söderberg, who had started the final day with an eleven-stroke lead over Grant, collapsed and lost the tournament with a final round of 77.
The success story of the tournament, which began in 2021 with the staging of the first mixed event on the DP World Tour, continues. The tournament has seen two male winners twice and Linn Grant as champion twice. “We wanted to organize the first tournament that stands for complete equality in the sport,” recalls Henrik Hilford Brander of We Do Sports as the organizer of the tournament, “because we have to change the world of golf.”
The Scandinavians’ decision to host a mixed tournament was not uncontroversial at the outset. The question of the extent to which proettes can be competitive in golf if they play with men was touched on, as was the fear that after the cut it might be almost exclusively men fighting for the title. Both proved to be completely unfounded. “We can see that there is a real competition out there,” was the summary of Annika Sörenstam, who, as a Swede, has been the patron of the tournament together with her compatriot Henrik Stenson from the very beginning.
In the experience of We Do Sports, the fact that men and women compete together in a world-class tournament attracts more attention to the sport of golf. The media reach of the mixed tournament is significantly greater than that of its all-male predecessor. This will significantly increase awareness of women’s golf. “People recognize how high the quality of women’s golf is,” Linn Grant remarked with satisfaction after her victory in 2022.
The results list of the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed 2024 documented that golf is a sport that is not only driven by length, but also by strategy and nerves of steel. In addition to Linn Grant, there were three other women in the top ten: Johanna Gustavsson, Nicole Broch Estrup and Nastasia Nadaud.
