Linn Grant admits playing with Annika Sorenstam will be "scary" as she looks to continue her remarkable start to life in professional golf with a victory at the 2022 Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed.
The home favourite only entered the paid ranks last year but has already claimed five wins across the Ladies European Tour, Sunshine Ladies Tour and LET Access Tour, and currently sits third on the Race to Costa del Sol with two further top tens.
She did not play in this event last season so will be getting her first taste of a format that sees 78 men and 78 women play the same course for one prize fund and one trophy at Halmstad Golf Club.
Tournament co-host Annika Sorenstam will be her playing partner for the first two days and despite her rapid rise in the game, the 22-year-old admits it will not be like anything she has experienced before.
“I guess it will be quite scary actually," she said. "I have never seen her play and never played with her before, I have met her a couple of times. It will be interesting and I’m sure there will be a lot of people watching."
Race to Costa del Sol leader Maja Stark has had an equally fast rise through the ranks in less than a year since turning professional, winning an LET Access Series event and three LET titles.
That shows that Swedish golf is clearly in safe hands and Grant admits the past ten months have been a "rollercoaster".
“A crazy high rollercoaster – it has been really amazing!" she said. "If someone had told me the day I turned pro that this was going to be my year ahead, I would take it and run probably. It has been super fun to get to experience everything and come out and start on Tour and win.
“I think I was part of a group of girls in Sweden who had been preparing for this for a couple of years now. We had done really good work with our coach and we had the right back up for it and right training.”
Stark will be playing alongside the event's other co-host Henrik Stenson but she is not expecting a scary experience on the first tee.
“I wouldn’t say I know Henrik, I talked to him last year because I was always playing in the group either behind or in front of him," she said. "I’m very excited, he is known for being funny so I’m looking forward to that.”
While Grant and Stark will be looking to lead the female home charge this week, Alex Noren will be hoping for a third DP World Tour title on home soil.
The Ryder Cup star has two worldwide top tens so far this season and is hoping a strong home contingent can lift the crowds and inspire him to victory.
“I hope it will be a good atmosphere," he said. "There are a lot of Swedes to root for and that is the fun thing. You know at some Majors we aren’t many but here you have a lot.
“It has been good. It is tough to win and there are a lot of good players. You know the chances I have had I have fallen a little short, there is always somebody, but if I can tidy a few things up and get the confidence back... I think confidence is a huge thing.
"If you have confidence you can play with anything, if you don’t have the confidence it is tough, so I am sort of trying to fix a few things to get my confidence going."
