The one-of-it’s-kind Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed is back for its fourth installment.
The event was first staged in 2021 and sees 78 men and 78 women compete on the same course for one prize fund and one trophy. It should go without mentioning that the men play from the men’s tee and the women play from the women’s tees.
The co-sanctioned event between the DP World Tour and Ladies European Tour is hosted by Swedish golf heroes Henrik Stenson and Annika Sorenstam
The event is to be held at the Golfklubb in Helsingborg, Sweden for the very first time.
The Field
With a unique format, this event consists of 78 men and 78 women who play on the same course for the same trophy and purse.
Through the first three editions of this event, we have seen two men (Dale Whitnell in 2023 and Jonathan Caldwell in 2021) and one woman (Linn Grant in 2022) claim the title.
Linn Grant headlines the female side as she not only is a five-time LET winner and a previous winner of this event, but as a home favorite as one of the many Swedes in this week’s field.
Current Order of Merit leader Bronte Law joins Grant on the ladies side as well as LPGA stand-out and Solheim Cup member Madelene Sagstrom.
Other notable females include Johanna Gustavsson and five-time Solheim Cup star Caroline Hedwall.
For the men, recent Soudal Open champion Nacho Elvira will be back in action this week alongside the defending champion, Whitnell.
Swedes Sebastian Soderberg, Jesper Svensson and Alexander Bjork join the men’s contingent and look to claim victory on home soil.
Other notable names teeing it up this week include Rasmus Hojgaard, Alex Fitzpatrick, Antoine Rozner, Niklas Norgaard, Adrian Otaegui and Yannik Paul.
The Course
Vasatorps Golfklubb plays host this week and plays as a par-72 at 7,295 yards for the men.
The two championship courses here at Vasatorps have previously hosted tournaments on both the men’s and women’s European Tour
The original course was built by Ulf Widerström and opened in 1974.
After a bit of a down era for the golf club and in an effort to host more European Tour events, a new 18-hole tournament course designed by American Steve Forrest was unveiled in 2008.
Although new, the newer tournament course consists of nine remodeled and nine of the original holes of Vasatorps.
Through all of their efforts, Vasatorps is now rated as one of the best golf courses in all of Sweden.
Two of the featured holes this week are the eight and 13th.
The par-four 8th is routed towards a two-tiered green positioned at the end of a lake. The lake runs the full length of the fairway.
The par-four 13th features a double dog-leg with water on the entire right side of the fairway. From there, the left side of the green too is guarded by water.
The Weather
As of the time of writing this, we can expect some wet conditions this week. Currently, forecasts are calling for at least a 40-percent chance of precipitation across all four days with Thursday and Saturday calling for a 60-percent chance of precipitation. Friday is calling for a 50-percent chance as Sunday currently holds the lowest chance at 40-percent. Winds will also be a factor this week as Friday currently calls for the lowest winds at 14 miles-per-hour. Thursday calls for 16 miles-per-hour winds as Saturday and Sunday call for 17 miles-per-hour winds. Temperatures will remain at 62-degrees across all four days.
Key Stats
Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (SG: TTG)
Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)
Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: PUTT)
Driving Accuracy
Bogey Avoidance
Birdie or Better Percentage
Sand Saves Percentage
Betting Card
Sebastian Soderberg (+1800)
Soderberg is currently first on the DP World Tour in birdie or better percentage, fourth in SG: APP, seventh in SG: TTG, 15th in bogey avoidance, 25th in SG: PUTT and 46th in sand saves percentage. His downfall is accuracy as he ranks 119th in driving accuracy but I believe the rest of his game checks out just fine this week. We last saw Soderberg at the PGA Championship where he made the cut. Prior to that he placed T3rd at the Volvo China Open, second at the ISPS HANDA Championship and T2nd at the Hero Indian Open. He also placed T6th at the Bahrain Championship, T9th at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship and T3rd at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on the season. What better time for him to secure his second DP World Tour victory and first since 2019 than on home soil?
Johannes Veerman (+3000)
This is more so going with the hot-hand as opposed to a full statistical play. Veerman is fresh off a T8th at last week’s European Open. He also placed T8th at the Volvo China Open and T2nd at the Hero Indian Open recently. He is also 11th on Tour in SG: APP, 16th in bogey avoidance, 18th in birdie or better percentage, 25th in SG: TTG, 31st in SG: PUTT, 92nd in driving accuracy and 117th in sand saves percentage. Veerman has been knocking at the door and it’s time he breaks through.
Madelene Sagstrom (+4000)
Being such a unique format and tournament I had to roll into this week with at least one woman on the betting card. Sagstrom made the cut at last week’s extremely challenging U.S. Women’s Open and will fly to her home country to tee it up this week. On the LPGA, Sagstrom recently placed second at the Cognizant Founders Cup and T8th at the JM Eagle LA Championship. She is long off the tee with the ability to compile birdies in a hurry. She ranks fourth on the LPGA in birdies and sixth in eagles. She’s also fifth in average driving distance and 21st in greens in regulation percentage.
Andy Sullivan (+6600)
Sullivan is a very rounded golfer who does everything on a golf course rather well. He is currently tenth on Tour in driving accuracy, 33rd in sand saves percentage, 41st in SG: TTG, 42nd in birdie or better percentage, 52nd in bogey avoidance, 54th in SG: PUTT and 55th in SG: APP. Sullivan isn’t in the best of recent form but is fresh off a T34th at last week’s European Open. However, back in March he placed fourth at the Porsche Singapore Classic, T23rd at the Jonsson Workwear Open and T4th at the SDC Championship.
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