While the first name atop the U.S. Women’s Open leaderboard is familiar to golf fans, the next two represent the up-and-coming generation of LPGA Tour players. With major champion Hinako Shibuno leading, Swedish amateur Linn Grant heads into the weekend in solo second, while fellow amateur Kaitlyn Papp, one of seven Texans in the field, is tied for third.
Grant followed in the footsteps of fellow Swedes Anna Nordqvist and Linnea Strom by competing collegiately at Arizona State University. After years of looking up to her compatriots and learning from her first U.S. Women’s Open experience in 2018, Grant is making quite a splash on the international golf scene.
“I think we've been raised looking at a lot of good players, and we've been able to look at them through like Instagram and see what they do, and we just copy what they do,” said Grant, who made the cut at the 2018 championship. “When we feel that we've reached that level, we kind of move on, and I think it's the same for the generations coming after us. I think people are just going to get better.”
Papp is also playing in her second U.S. Women’s Open after a missed cut in 2019. Her high-school teammate Kristen Gillman is already on the LPGA Tour and with Papp in her senior year at the University of Texas, she could soon join her best friend. But not before finishing her collegiate career.
“I feel like college golf really prepares us for the next level and to play well in championships like this, and also internationally for the girls who are coming from overseas, there's been a lot of playing opportunities,” said Papp. “I feel like with this whole COVID year we've all had the chance to get better at our golf games.”