Photo: LET\/Tristan Jones<\/p>\n
Sweden\u2019s\u00a0Linn Grant<\/a>\u00a0came from behind on a dramatic final day at the Jabra Ladies Open to pip Anne van Dam by two shots on nine-under-par and clinch her fifth title on the Ladies European Tour (LET).<\/p>\n Starting the day tied with the Dutch star on seven-under-par in France, Grant got off to a nervy start at Evian Resort Golf Club when she bogeyed her first hole on the opening par-4.<\/p>\n With Italy\u2019s Alessandra Fanali and France\u2019s Celine Herbin also in the mix, the Swede then dropped another shot on the par-4 6th before van Dam birdied the following hole to stretch their gap to three shots.<\/p>\n “I knew there was a lot of birdie opportunities out here,”\u00a0Grant said.\u00a0“So I knew if I kept calm and did what I usually do, I’d be able to bounce back sooner or later.”<\/p>\n Approaching the turn, Grant regained her composure to post back-to-back birdies on the 9th and 10th with fellow LET winner van Dam unable to respond.<\/p>\n A tense back nine then saw a string of pars from the duo with fellow Swede Johanna Gustavsson closing in after four birdies in 12 holes moved her to six-under-par.<\/p>\n The 15th then proved to be the turning point. Leading the charge, Gustavsson found trouble down the right to eventually post a double-bogey and see her title charge drift away.<\/p>\n A group later, Herbin made a clutch birdie to move to seven-under-par before Grant also birdied the par-5 after reaching the green in two. Van Dam was then unable to match the pair after hitting the bunker, leaving a grandstand finish with the Dutch star and Grant tied on eight-under-par.<\/p>\n “[Anne] made me focus a bit more,”\u00a0Grant continued.\u00a0“I knew she could make birdies at any moment so I had to be aggressive. The birdie on 15 gave me some hope. Then I just kept being patient knowing that 18 was coming up.”<\/p>\n One hole later, van Dam failed to get up and down again as Grant saved par to take the lead.<\/p>\n Chasing Grant for the first time since Thursday, van Dam dropped another shot on the 17th to give the 23-year-old a two-shot advantage over her with Herbin the clubhouse leader on seven-under par.<\/p>\n After reaching the green in two on the par-5 18th for a third consecutive day, Grant would two-putt for birdie for a 69 (-2) to win by two shots and claim her fifth LET title, and first with coach Steven Jeppesen on the bag.<\/p>\n “I’m feeling really happy,”\u00a0the Swede said.\u00a0“This course is tricky and I feel like today with some patience and good golf I really managed to hold on. I’m really happy.\u00a0I said to my coach that if I win I want to get pancakes, so we’ll see!”<\/p>\n A birdie finish for van Dam saw her end the week T2 alongside Herbin on seven-under-par.<\/p>\n “I’m very happy with how I played today,”\u00a0the Frenchwoman said.\u00a0“It was very good and I enjoyed myself. I could feel that it might come down to the last hole. But it was a lot of fun and I’m really lucky to have played on this course. It’s always nice to play in France, it was awesome!<\/p>\n “It’s my first event of the year on the LET, so it’s nice to start with a second place.”<\/p>\n In a tie for fourth on six-under-par finished Gustavasson, Fanali, and her Italian teammate Virginia Elena Carta – who soared up the leaderboard on the final day with a 67 (-4). The final leaderboard for the 2023 Jabra Ladies Open can be found\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n