The newest addition to the ASU women’s golf team, freshman Linn Grant, is making great strides in the fall season and turning the heads of coaches, teammates and fans alike in the process.
Grant has contributed to a group that has earned a top three placement in the latest rankings released by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association.
A Sweden native, Grant was recruited by head coach Missy Farr-Kaye prior to the 2019-20 school year, and she played her first tournament with the team on Sept. 16 at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.
Through three tournaments, Grant has consistently performed at a high level, hitting at least two strokes under par and finishing in the top 10 individually in every contest.
Her efforts have been recognized by coaches and members of the golf media, earning her a spot on the prestigious ANNIKA Award Fall Watch List.
“Just a tremendous start for Linn,” Farr-Kaye said. “She has a demeanor and a calmness to her as a competitor that I have not seen very often … she plays in every tournament to win.”
Growing up in the seaside town of Viken, located about 300 miles southwest of Stockholm, Grant was introduced to golf at an early age.
Her father, a golfer himself, would often take her with him to the course where she recalls enjoying treats and initially becoming familiar with the game.
“I always used to come with him to the golf course for ice cream — that was kinda my thing,” Grant said. “When I was nine, I got my handicap, started to make friends at the club and started to compete when I was 11.”
When she was 15, Grant began attending golf camps and playing in national tournaments before joining the Swedish women’s team in 2016.
Grant approaches the golf course in a calm and relaxed manner. She focuses on each hole individually rather than worrying about the bigger picture, which she says is a key factor in her success.
“I try to keep it very simple,” Grant said. “Both with who I am as a player on the golf course but also how my game is. I always view it as just a game … I normally don’t get stressed, and if I do, I can handle my stress.”
Following the transition to a different country and the beginning of a collegiate career, the calmness that Grant exhibits in her game may be a marvel to those who have undergone the same experience.
Grant is 20 years old, and her two additional years of experience from that of typical freshmen speak volumes about her seemingly effortless adjustment to ASU’s desert golf system.
“Linn doesn’t remind me of a freshman,” teammate Olivia Mehaffey said. “You can tell she is experienced and she doesn’t need much guidance. She has a plan and a purpose and knows what she wants — she picks things up quickly.”
In January, the five-woman Sun Devil lineup will welcome a sixth addition in Amanda Linner, another Sweden native and a close friend of Grant’s.
Linner will enter the program as part of an early high school graduation process, similar to that experienced by sophomore Alessandra Fanali, who joined the team in January 2019.
Having played alongside Linner for over five years, Grant eagerly awaits the arrival of her future collegiate teammate.
“We’ve always been on a team together back home,” Grant said. “I’ve known her since I was 15 and every year we’ve been getting closer and closer. She is definitely my best friend.”
Before the arrival of Linner, Grant and the Sun Devils have one final tournament to play in 2019 — the Nanea Pac-12 Preview, which begins Nov. 4 in Kailua Kona, HI.
There, she hopes to make it an even 4/4 in top 10 tournament leaderboard finishes before capping off the fall season.
Reach the reporter at hcroton@asu.edu or follow @thecrote on Twitter.
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