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Swedish pro-golfer Linn Grant, who won the Joburg Ladies Open 2022 with five strokes, will miss this year’s showpiece when it tees-off on the fairways of the Modderfontein Golf Club between Tuesday, 28 February, and Saturday, 4 March 2023.

Grant is already paving a unique path as a professional golfer across the globe after securing a great start and finish at the Joburg Ladies Open International Tournament last year.

However, she is not available to return to South Africa to defend her title as the reigning champion, given her jam-packed international schedule.

The Swedish golfer has been attending international tournaments back-to-back and has consistent in her exceptional winning streak after bagging the Joburg Ladies Open title in her first European Ladies Tour victory.

Bongi Mokaba, the City’s Director of Events Management, says the municipality is not let down by the fact that the 2022 Joburg Ladies Open champion will not be competing in this year’s tournament.

"In fact, we are really excited to see our former champions in action across the world; it’s great to witness golfers' greatest moments and successes," says Mokaba.

She adds that the Joburg Open franchise is not dependent on individual golfers as drawcards.

"The Joburg Open (franchise) is a breeding ground for young amateur golfers to grow their careers," she says.

Grant, an enthusiastic pro-golfer, was born on 20 February 2000, in Helsingborg, Sweden. She started playing golf at the age of six (6) and quickly became a top junior player in Sweden. She won the Swedish Junior Championship four times and was part of the Swedish national team from 2016 to 2019 where she began her career as an amateur golfer.

Grant made her professional debut at the 2020 Scandinavian Mixed, a European Tour event where men and women compete against each other. She also played in the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open, where she tied for 23rd. Despite being recognised locally for her Joburg Ladies Open victory, she has also clinched the Mithra Belgian Ladies Open, among many of her accolades.

Grant has been described as one of the most promising young golfers in Sweden and is expected to have a successful career showing in both collegiate and professional golf.

Mokaba notes that the Joburg Ladies Open has elevated in stature since being a co-sanctioned tournament, thanks to the Sunshine Tour and the Ladies European Tour.

"The Joburg Ladies Open has become a platform for young professional golfers to rise to the global stage to win other tournaments and make names for themselves. The City is working hard to continue to create a platform for young professional golfers to raise the bar as they grow their careers," adds Mokaba.

She says the City of Johannesburg looks forward to hosting fresh players who are hungry to win the co-sanctioned international golf event, which will grant players an exemption for two years to play other Ladies European Tour tournaments across the world.

Follow all the golfing action on the City's social media pages: @CityofJohannesburgZA on Twitter, City of Johannesburg on Facebook, and @CityofJoburg on Instagram.

Issued by the City of Joburg