Linnea Strom mentally prepares for title defense at the 2025 ShopRite LPGA Classic

By Annie Watson

GALLOWAY, N.J. – The largest comeback in LPGA history.

The headline basically writes itself.

And for Swedish golfer Linnea Strom, who made the cut by 1 stroke and came into the final round of the 2024 ShopRite LPGA Classic T-52, it’s her reality. So much so that people remember her as “the player that shot a 60.” 

While it is very easy to have that title weigh on any professional athlete, let alone a golfer, Strom has implemented the same mentality heading into this year’s edition of the tournament as she did amid her record final round.

Play one shot at a time. One hole at a time.

“I was so far behind, so I think that kind of helped me to just be in the present. I told myself I'm just going to try and move up the leaderboard and hopefully have a good finish,” Strom said.

“I don't think I could have ever expected to have the kind of day that I had.”

She said goodbye to fellow golfer Frida Kinhult on Saturday, letting her know that she’d see her in Grand Rapids for their next tournament. Kinhult, who had missed the cut at Seaview’s Bay Course while Strom played on, could not have anticipated that the next time they’d see each other, Strom would finally be able to call herself an LPGA Tour champion.

“[Frida] felt horrible about not being here for my first win,” Strom said. “But I think it's just golf. You never know what's going to happen. But that whole final day was just -- it's kind of a blur.”

Coming into the ShopRite LPGA Classic – both this year and last – Strom missed the cut at five out of the last six tournaments. Two of those Strom missed by only one shot. So, as she looks ahead to the tournament known to kick off the summer on the LPGA calendar, Strom realizes just how valuable one shot can be.

“Some weeks you have the luck on your side and some weeks you don't,” she said. “You never know when it's going to be your week. As quickly as it can go downhill, it can go uphill as well.”

Despite this “emotional rollercoaster” her recent campaigns have felt like, the Swede looks to not only defend her title in Atlantic City.

She looks to gain her confidence back.

“That [first win] was somewhat of a checkmark in my career where I proved to myself, I belong out here,” she said. “But obviously you want to do more, and I want to win again.”

Just two weeks after her father flew to the U.S. from her hometown of Gothenburg, Strom become the third Swede to win this tournament in its 36 years, alongside Anna Nordqvist and hall-of-famer Annika Sorenstam – both of whom have multiple wins at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

If she plays her cards (and her birdie game) right, not only could Strom be remembered as “the player who shot a 60.”

She has a chance to join the record books and reinvigorate Swedish pride to the Jersey Shore.