It seemed like magic was happening in Orlando, Florida this January. Swedish golfer Linn Grant had taken solo possession of second place after the second round at Hilton Grand Tournament of Champions.
She finished the tournament in third place and followed it up with a top 25 at the Honda LPGA Thailand the following month. Since then though she has missed two straight cuts and will need to rebound quickly before the season's first major.
This week on the LPGA Tour, everyone is gearing up and getting ready for the Chevron Championship which kicks off the majors this season. Grant will be there, but will she continue to struggle or gain top form like she did at the beginning of the season or the last few while on tour.
She won the Dana Open in 2023, for her first tour victory, and has 14 top 10s since her rookie season in 2022. In 2024, she also represented Sweden at the Paris Olympics, where she finished in a tie for 27th.
After her opening at the Hilton, this year, though, she has struggled at the last two tournaments. At both Ford Championship and JM Eagle Championship, she failed to score a single round under 70 and missed both cuts.
Linn Grant will need to shake off the two cuts before the Chevron this weekend
This past weekend at the JM Eagle Championship, she posted a double bogey on the Par 3 sixth hole. She also could find any rhythm with putter and was cut before Saturday.
She ranks 31st in her greens in regulation percentage on tour with 75.4 percent but ranks in 61st place in her birdie percentage at 21.2 percent. It seems, if she can have better days with the putter, she could well be within the competition this weekend.
After gaining second place after day two at the Hilton, she spoke to reporters of her round: "I found something on the back nine that I really liked and tried to keep that with me today. I know I play my best golf when I keep it simple and not be too aggressive and let the putts do the job for me.”
If she uses this hindsight entering the Chevron Championship, the 25-year-old could be a huge part of the leaderboard on Sunday. She has been one more the consistent players since her rookie season. The last two tournaments may be a just minor blimp on her career and season path.