Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed: The Debrief

Dale Whitnell claimed his first DP World Tour win at the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed, amateur Hugo Townsend impressed and two females finished inside the top five. Here is everything you need to know from Ullna Golf & CC.

Whitnell's maiden triumph

After 14 years as a professional and 106 events on the DP World Tour, Dale Whitnell held his nerve to convert his 54 hole lead into a maiden victory on the DP World Tour.

The 34 year old set the tone for his week at Ullna Golf and Country Club with a closing 96-yard hole-out eagle on day one and carried that momentum into a second-round 61 that handed him a six-shot lead at the halfway stage.

That advantage was cut to two with two to play as American Sean Crocker put the pressure on with a closing 65 but Whitnell birdied the 17th to give himself some breathing room and signed for a 70 and a three-shot win at 21 under.

"It's awesome," said a clearly emotional Whitnell. "It tested me out there. Gaz was great.

"It's been a long road for me, I've got so many people to thank: my fiancée Angie, my little dog, Craig my coach who I didn't know flew out today, my mum and dad, Callaway, Travis Mathew, all my friends and family.

"It's been a long time coming, I'm ecstatic. It means everything to me, it's what I get up every day for. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. I've dreamt of this for a long time."

Ladies continue to impress

The success of the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed was once again proved by the final results, as Anne Van Dam and Gabriella Cowley both finished inside the top five.

A year on from Linn Grant's historic victory in the event, the two women surged into contention with impressive third rounds - a nine under 63 for Van Dam and an eight under 64 for Cowley - and then matched rounds of 69 on the final day to finish in a tie for third and a tie for fifth respectively.

“It was always going to be tough to follow up a performance like I did yesterday,” said Van Dam, who finished her week on 15 under par alongside Yannik Paul.

“I just tried to start my round with a clean slate.The front nine I actually played good, I had a lot of chances and the back nine I was on top of my game, so it was nice to hang on in there and then the birdie on 18 feels extra special.. It’s been a fantastic week and hopefully, I’ll be back here next year.”

Cowley ended her week alongside Richie Ramsay and Paul Waring on 14 under par, which was her best Ladies European Tour result of 2023.

“It was a great week. I played really solid,” said Cowley. “It was just a good day. Playing with Maddie we shared a lot of fans and support, so it was nice to obviously be a part of that and play well too.

“I’ve been playing pretty good but just haven’t really had it [a low finish], so to actually do it in a four-day tournament and produce the shots that I need hit when I needed it most was a big thing for me.

“My dad who caddied is a massive part of golf, and obviously my life too. The help that gives me on and off the course, but especially this week, was really good. Playing these sorts of weeks gives you so much confidence. It’s a big confidence boost and a stepping stone in the right direction.”

One for the future

Sweden's home favourites Alex Noren, Alexander Bjork and Madelene Sagstrom all impressed to record finishes high up the leaderboard, but it was amateur Hugo Townsend who turned heads with an 11th place finish in his first ever professional start.

Townsend, who is the son of English Ryder Cup player Peter Townsend but represents the country of his mother Sofia, held his own with some of the DP World Tour and LET's best, posting an eight under 64 in his final round to end his week on 12 under par.

"It was a lot of a fun," said Townsend.

"I was holing putts hitting some good irons, it was a really fund day. It's my first pro event ever, my first time playing in Sweden in probably five years, it's awesome"

The 24-year-old is now back in Sweden for the summer, returning from the University of Mississippi in the United States, and admitted it was special to play on home soil and in front of his dad again.

"He was here watching, he hasn't seen me play in five years, it was cool and special," he said.

"I've only been home for two weeks and it's a good start to the summer."

The 24 year old played alongside Eddie Pepperell during the final round, and the Englishman wrote on twitter "he's a serious player, worth keeping an eye on him folks."

Hole outs hole outs hole outs

This week's tournament saw some world class golf shots produced by both the men and women in Sweden, and three of those eagles came from hole outs.

Dale Whitnell began his week with a hole-out eagle at the 18th in round one, Pia Babnik made a slam dunk with a wedge on the sixth hole in round 2, and Frederic Lacroix made his own eagle with a hole out from the middle of the 11th fairway during round four.

All three feature in this week's shots of the week, which include five of the best at Ullna Golf & Country Club.

The best viewing spot on the course

Some fans at the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed undoubtedly had the best seats in the house/on the lake for watching the golf, but they also provided plenty of entertainment, too.

From a belly flop in the background to making a brilliant catch from a throw from Yannik Paul, there was plenty of action happening from the deck chairs on the floating platform.

Win a car when you need it most

Alexander Knappe revealed he could not have picked a better time to produce a perfect shot after making a hole-in-one on day one. The German holed a nine-iron from 156 yards at the 14th to earn himself a two-year “Care by Volvo” subscription of a fully electric Volvo EX30.

That would be good news at the best of times but the timing is perfect for Knappe, who is currently seeking a replacement for his nine-year-old car, which struggles to start and has no air conditioning. "It's unbelievable because my car is actually breaking down," he said. "I have a nine-year-old car and the engine is not really running. Sometimes it takes five minutes to get it running and the AC is broken so I was looking for a car anyway - this is perfect timing."