Swede Linn Grant has given herself a great shot at becoming the first female champion on the DP World Tour but knows compatriot and Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed co-host Henrik Stenson, as much as history, will be against her on Sunday.
A blemish-free third-round 66 will see the Swedish Ladies European Tour (LET) player take a two-stroke lead over Aussie Jason Scrivener (70) into Sunday at Halmstad Golf Club with major champion Stenson (67) just a shot further back.
As the only LET player in the top-15, Grant is flying the flag for the ladies at the €2 million co-sanctioned event and is happy to have a shot at history. The 22-year-old Swede will take encouraging form into the final round as well, having won two of her first five starts on the LET and finishing no worse than T13 in her three other events.
“I think it is fun, I am here to do my golf and I hope that takes me all the way and if it does, then I’ll take it for the women,” said Grant who mixed four birdies with an eagle from 75 feet on the 11th to move to -16 for the championship.
Linn Grant from downtown Halmstad 💥🙌#RaiseOurGame | #VolvoScandinavianMixed pic.twitter.com/PtfBB7IxDc
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) June 11, 2022
“I hope that people realise that we’re actually getting there, getting close to the guys and having the same journey the men have had for the last 30 or 40 years.
“To really just put women’s golf on the map a little bit more than it is at the moment, we can hit it far enough and close to the pin and hole some putts and do good scoring.”
The trick for Grant will be keeping her nerve, not to mention her impressive swing flowing, under the blowtorch anticipated in Tylösand on Sunday. Nine players are within six strokes of Grant, and none so more ominous than Stenson who is co-hosting this week with Annika Sörenstam but intends being anything but hospitable inside the ropes in the final round.
Turn up the volume 🔊😍@henrikstenson and Linn Grant’s ball striking on moving day was pure.#VolvoScandinavianMixed pic.twitter.com/AOeJGdKge6
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 11, 2022
Stenson last won at Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge in 2019 but has to go back to the PGA Tour’s 2017 Wyndham Championship for his last main tour title. His last win on the DP World Tour came at the 2016 Open Championship when he edged Phil Mickelson in the fabled ‘Battle of the Sons’.
Stenson rattled off three successive birdies and added further gains at the 5th and 8th to turn in five-under 31 on Saturday, A pair of bogeys on the par-5 11th and 14th saw him slam it into reverse but those blips were cancelled put by birdies on 16 and 18.
“It would be sweet, so I better stay away from making six on the par fives, right!” Stenson said when asked what a victory on home soil would mean.
“But I feel like I got myself back in the ball game at least with those late birdies, and I felt like it would have been a shame to finish with anything worse than five under today given that start.
“So we have work to do tomorrow, we certainly have some ground to make up and I would love to win in Sweden, but I really have to do my part tomorrow.”
Scrivener, who is bidding to claim his first DP World Tour title after securing 24 top-ten finishes so far, was pleased with his third-round 70 and is looking forward to Sunday.
He said: “It was looking like a pretty good round up until the 13th or 14th really, I played nicely and then was a bit scrappy coming in, but all in all pretty happy with it.
“I can’t wait. It is a great opportunity tomorrow to win a tournament and to be in the final group is always nice as well.”
Your leader heading into Sunday 🇸🇪#VolvoScandinavianMixed pic.twitter.com/1k4HBP1WRS
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 11, 2022
The outcome is in Grant’s hands though and the young Swede believes she has what it takes. She should have ample female support if it does get close down the stretch with the closest other LET player heading out 1h 35mins in advance of the final two-ball of Grant and Scrivener who will take starters orders at 1.35pm local time (3.35pm UAE time).
“A very solid day again,” said Grant of her Saturday 66. “I really found my swing yesterday on the range, and this morning was a good warm-up, a bit stressed, but that is pretty much a good thing to me.
“I got out there and hit good drives, I think I hit pretty much every fairway, on the greens and solid putting.
“I think I practised throughout all my years playing as an amateur being in the same situation of being nervous and knowing how to handle that and get the best out of myself.”
How it stands with 18 holes left to play 📈#VolvoScandinavianMixed
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 11, 2022
