Linnea Strom won the ShopRite LPGA Classic in epic fashion, shooting a memorable 11-under 60 to finish at 14-under and clip Megan Khang and Ayaka Furue by a stroke.
She began her final round on the Bay Course at Seaview at 3-under-par and tied for 52nd place. Strom, who hails from Sweden, did not think she could win the golf tournament, but she had a goal: to get to 8-under overall.
The Swede more than eclipsed that mark, thanks to a stellar front side capped by a chip-in eagle on the par-5 9th. She went out with a 6-under 31 and sat at 9-under overall when she stood on the 10th tee.
Another birdie at 10 followed, and suddenly, Strom found herself towards the top of the leaderboard while other contenders still had plenty of holes left.
But that did not matter. Strom kept the pedal to the metal, especially down the stretch, as she closed with four more birdies over her final five holes.
“I knew I had a good score going, but I didn’t think I was that close to 59,” Strom said afterward.
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“But it is what it is, and I still did my best and I’m happy that I was able to make a birdie at the end.”
Not only did she get her first LPGA win, but she set LPGA history in the process. According to golf statistician Justin Ray, Strom is the first player to shoot a final round 60 and win on the LPGA. Remarkably, she had the third tee time of the day and made the 36-hole cut on the number.
“Every golfer knows that it’s not always like this,” Strom added.
“So I think really have to enjoy the days when everything goes your way.”
No doubt that Strom will savor this win, which was greatly helped by her putter. She needed only 20 putts on Sunday to get the job done.
In doing so, Strom became the first Swedish player to win on the LPGA since July 2023, when Linn Grant won the Dana Open. Funny enough, Grant won the Volvo Car Scandinavian mixed on the DP World Tour, meaning two Swedish women won on separate tours this week.
“I actually checked [Grant’s] score before I walked to the first tee this morning, and I saw she was like 6-under after ten holes. I thought to myself, ‘I won’t be surprised if she just goes and wins it,’” Strom said.
“She’s obviously been very impressive the last couple of years, and I always said that ever since she came out on the LPGA, she pushed me to work hard and get better. She’s a great role model and a great player, so I really admire what she’s doing.”
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
