Linn Grant maiden LPGA Tour victory, Korda wins in London and McIlroy claims first win in Scotland ahead of The 151st Open Championship
Swede Linn Grant has already seen success on the Ladies European Tour winning five titles in the last two years, including taking home the Jabra Ladies Open earlier this year in May.
The 24-year-old added yet another professional victory to her resume after four days at the Dana Open, becoming the Tour’s sixth Rolex First-Time Winner, the 13th different winner this season and the first Swede.
She ended her weekend in Sylvania, Ohio tying third-lowest 72-hole score in tournament history (263) after a final-round 68.
With her first win on American soil in sight, Grant teed off and began her round steady with seven pars before holing out for birdie on eight which created more cushion for her atop the leaderboard. She added two more birdies on 11 and 13, a bogey on 14 but it was a tap-in birdie on 18 that sealed the deal for Grant’s first win in the United States.
“Yeah, I've been thinking about it all day,” Grant said about if the dream of winning matched the reality of winning. “I think I've imagined this day so many times in so many ways in my own mind. No, just being here now, I'm just so speechless and at the same time I feel familiar with the setting for some reason. But it's just so fun.”
Not going away quietly, U.S. Women’s Open champion Allisen Corpuz did her best to make a push for back-to-back victories after cutting the lead to two shots after she carded five birdies on her back nine, ultimately ending with six in her bogey-free 65.
Lindy Duncan earned her first top-five finish since the 2018 Volunteers of America LPGA Texas Classic after ending her round with seven birdies and a bogey en route to a six-under-par 65, a new career-best fourth-round score.
Xiyu Lin earned her third top-four finish in her last four events and was one of three players to finish all their rounds in the 60s. Stephanie Kyriacou finished with a career-best tied fourth finish and set a new career-low 72-hole score at 270.
“Pretty cool, actually,” Kyriacou said about earning her career-low finish. “I played a lot of good golf. I found at the start of the year I kind of put myself good position heading into the weekend and kind of just couldn't finish it out or have a couple good rounds on the weekend. This was kind of the first week I did. I learned a whole lot about the mental side of golf. How to deal with nerves and all that stuff. So a lot of things to take away from this week, even though one wasn't a trophy.”
Four players round out the top 10 with 2022 Dana Open champion Gaby Lopez ending her title defense at -12, earning her second top-10 finish of the 2023 season. India’s Aditi Ashok notched her fifth top-10 finish of her season and 11th overall, while 2023 LPGA rookie Jaravee Boonchant ended bogey-free with two birdies and Minjee Lee finished with her 67th career top-10 finish.
Before heading over to Europe, it's the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational pairs event at Midland Country Club in Michigan.
Aramco Team Series - London
It was a wet and wild few days at Centurion Club as the Aramco Team Series returned for the third time. After a disappointing showing at the last two tour events, which both happened to be Majors, Nelly Korda returned to the LET Winner's circle for the third time.
There was a similar story for Gerogia Hall who guided her team to take victory in the team element of the competition which had to be finished on Sunday morning due to play suspensions on Saturday.
Read the full report here.
The LET now moves to Spain and the La Sella Open.
McIlroy wins ahead of Open week
It's hard to believe that winning the Genesis Scottish Open gave Rory McIlroy his first professional victory on Scottish soil. But after strong winds forced early tee times, the Northern Irishman managed to shoot a final round two-under-par 68 to pip local favourite Robert MacIntrye to the title.
After an up and down front nine which featured four bogeys and two birdies, McIlroy went on to birdie four of his last eight holes to take victory by one shot at 15-under-par at The Renaissance Club.
This was McIlroy's first win since the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in February:
"It feels incredible. It's been a sort of long six months I feel since I won in Dubai. I've given myself tons of chances, and hopefully this win sort of breaks the seal for me, especially going into next week as well."
MacIntrye may have been disappointed but he did all that he could to win with a final round 64 (six-under-par). With Byeong Hun An, Scottie Scheffler and David Lingmerth four shots further back at -10.
Open fever starts this week and with this victory McIlroy will be looking to right the wrongs of last year's Open Championship at St Andrews.
The 151st Open Championship takes place at Royal Liverpool.
Maiden victory for Norrman on PGA Tour
It wasn't to be for England's Nathan Kimsey who was defeated by Sweden's Vincent Norrman in a play-off. Both players were looking for their first victories but it was Norrman who parred the first extra hole to take the win the Barbasol Championship in Kentucky.
Kimsey, who was making his PGA Tour debut, had set the pace with a final round eight-under-par 64 to take the clubhouse lead. A bogey on the last hole at Keene Golf Club by Norrman forced a play-off as he shot a final round 66 to finished tied on 22-under-par.
Returning to the par-four 18th hole, Kimsey found himself in a greenside bunker where he was unable to get up and down from, giving Norrman the opportunity to make par and seal the victory.
"I don't think I can process this for a while. I'm lost for words. It's amazing. It has been a crazy week and obviously, the first nine was almost flawless. How I finished the front nine I'm really proud of, then hung in there on the back. I'm happy to be sitting here."
Thirty-year-old Kimsey, was obviously disappointed but looked at the positives:
"I feel like I barely missed a shot all day. Holed a few nice putts and just kind of did a really good job of executing kind of the whole back nine and keep pushing really. Yeah, like I can't complain with anything I did."
This week it's all about The 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
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