(Provided by Tennis World USA)
Swedish Linn Grant, on a cloud since Saturday morning, won the Dana Open on Sunday in Ohio, her first LPGA Tour tournament, after winning five times in two years on the Ladies European Tour (LET). By returning a card of 68 (4 birdies, 1 bogey), she finished 21 strokes under par and kept three strokes ahead of the American Allisen Corpuz, winner of the US Women’s Open last Sunday, who concluded his week by a 65.
Linn Grant, results
Linn Grant will long remember this Dana Open on the course at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvana, Ohio.
Co-leader Thursday evening, the Swede played in 62 on Saturday then ensured the coup on Sunday. Above all, she managed to resist until the end the pressure of Allisen Corpuz, victorious last Sunday of her first Major, the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. Last May, Grant won the Jabra Ladies Open in France, her fifth Ladies European Tour title in two seasons.
She was the 28th player in the world at the start of the week, having already occupied the 21st rank. At 24, she will resume her progression in the Rolex Rankings and will be a player to follow closely this summer, at the Amundi Evian Championship then at the AIG Women’s Open, on the other side of the Channel. Starting with a six-stroke lead, Grant started her day quietly, waiting for hole number 8 to sign her first birdie.
She added three more on the return, at 11, 13 and 18, very useful to compensate for a single bogey (at 14) and finish without too much stress in 68, at 21 strokes under par, with three strokes. ahead of Corpuz who ended up with a birdie at 18, like her. Another American played very well on Sunday, Lindy Duncan, and her card of 65, like Corpuz, allowed her to take 3rd place alone, at -15, ahead of Chinese Xiyu Lin (67 ) and Australian Stephanie Kyriacou (69), tied for 4th at -14. The other sensation this weekend in Ohio was undoubtedly the very young Mia Hammond, 15, who qualified for her first LPGA Tour event by shooting 66 last Monday.
The teenager, after two rounds in 68 and a Moving Day in 70, ended her week with a 72, on her only day over par. She finished 26th, tied with world number 1, Jin Young Ko.