Linnea Strom shot an impressive 11-under 60 to finish at 14-under, one stroke ahead of Megan Kang and Ayaka Furue, en route to an epic win at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
She started the final round at 3 under par and tied for 52nd on Seaview’s Bay Course. Strom, from Sweden, never thought she could win a golf tournament, but she had a goal: to reach 8 under par.
The Swede far surpassed that mark thanks to a great first half that included a chip-in eagle on the par-five ninth hole. She finished in 6-under 31 and was 9-under when she tee’d off to the 10th hole.
Another birdie on the 10th hole and Strom suddenly shot to the top of the leaderboard with many holes still to play for other players.
But that didn’t matter, as Strom gave it her all late in the round, scoring four more birdies in the final five holes.
“I knew I had a good score, but I didn’t think it was that close to 59,” Strome said after the game.
“But it is what it is and I still did my best and I’m happy to get the birdie at the end.”
Not only did she win her first LPGA title, she also made LPGA history in the process. According to golf statistician Justin Ray, Strom was the first player. She won the LPGA tournament after shooting 60 strokes in the final round. Amazingly, she topped the 36-hole cut on the third tee time of the day.
“Any golfer knows that’s not always going to be the case,” Strom added.
“So I think you should really enjoy those days when everything goes your way.”
Strom will be thrilled with the win, which also benefited from her putter, as she needed just 20 putts on Sunday to secure the victory.
This makes Strom the first Swede to win on the LPGA since Lynn Grant won the Dana Open in July 2023. Interestingly, Grant also won the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed event on the DP World Tour, meaning two Swedish women have won on different tours this week.
“I actually checked [Grant’s] “I looked at her scores this morning before I went to the first tee and she was like 6 under after 10 holes and I thought, ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if she wins,'” Strom said.
“She’s obviously been great the last few years, and I always say since she got into the LPGA, she’s inspired me to work harder and get better. She’s a great role model and a great player, so I really respect what she’s doing.”
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
