Euro pro blows eight-shot lead to lose in gut-wrenching fashion

Sunday’s final round of the DP World Tour’s Scandinavian Mixed, a tournament that is co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour and features male and female pros playing side-by-side, looked to be a coronation of sorts for Sebastian Soderberg, who, after firing rounds of 63-66-66, held a commanding eight-shot lead heading into the final round.

The first three rounds were a continuation of a run of good form for the 33-year-old Swede, who has posted three top-3 finishes in his last four starts.

But a disastrous final round capped by a dramatic and gut-wrenching final moment at host course Vasatorps Golfklubb ended Soderberg’s chances of adding a second DP World Tour win to his resume.

Soderberg posted an opening nine of one-over 37 on Sunday, and then carded two bogeys and a double on his back nine to sign for a final round of five-over 77.

Despite his lengthy collapse, the tournament title was still within his reach until the final hole, the par-4 18th. Soderberg’s 267-yard drive found the fairway, leaving him with 162 yards to the pin. A par would seal his victory.

Soderberg’s approach found the right greenside bunker. He managed to successfully extricate his ball, but left himself 25 feet for par — a putt he needed to make to claim the tournament title. Soderberg missed, but had 1 foot, 3 inches remaining to force a playoff.

Then, Soderberg missed the short putt in excruciating fashion, with the ball performing a nearly 360-degree lip-out. Soderberg tapped in for a stunning double-bogey, and fellow Swede Linn Grant received the news of her clubhouse win as she prepared for a potential playoff on the range.

Grant had chipped in on the 18th for a round of 65, which cut Soderberg’s lead to two shots at the time, though she finished her round well before him. Soderberg played his final 11 holes in five over par. For Grant, the comeback was 11 shots — the largest ever on the DP World Tour.

“Very mixed emotions,” Grant said after receiving the news of her win. “I feel honestly terrible for Sebastian at the moment. I don’t even have words for it. I can’t even imagine how he feels. At the same time, I’m surprised, like so surprised, standing here as a winner again in my hometown.”

With her first Scandinavian Mixed win in 2022, Linn Grant became the first woman to win on the DP World Tour. With Sunday’s victory, she’s the first woman to win twice.