Damien Kayat previews the 2023 edition of the Scandinavian Mixed taking place at Ullna Golf and Country Club in Sweden.
2022/2023 DP World Tour
Scandinavian Mixed
Ullna Golf and Country Club, Stockholm, Sweden
8th-11th June
This will be just the third renewal of one of Keith Pelley’s most daring recent innovations: the Scandinavian Mixed. In an attempt to bridge the notable gender gap in this sport, the DP World Tour decided to implement an event that would feature 78 male and 78 female golfers.
They would compete for the same title at the same time (just off different tees). They would also be competing for exactly the same prize money. The event is hosted by arguably the most iconic sports personality in Scandinavian history: Annika Sorenstam.
The ten-time Major winner was a true trailblazer who opened the eyes of the world to the women’s game. Linn Grant created history at Halmstad last year, becoming the first woman to register a win on the DP World Tour (she won by an incredible nine shots).
Ullna Golf and Country Club
Designed by Sven Tumba and opened in 1981, Ullna Golf and Country Club is a fairly straightforward parkland layout. It hosted the Scandinavian Enterprise Open on the European Tour between 1983 and 1987.
Jack Nicklaus redesigned the layout in 2013. It is quite a picturesque setting, with six of the holes hugging Lake Ullna. It will play a touch over 6,800 yards for the men and a touch over 6,000 yards for the women. As I noted earlier, this should be a dawdle for most of these pros. A hot putter could prove essential in what should boil down to an utter birdie-fest.
The Contenders
Defending champion Linn Grant is actually the highest-ranked player- man or woman- in the field. The current World No.21 recently won her fifth European title and will feel confident about challenging once again.
But the ladies have generally struggled in this event. Grant was the only woman who finished inside the top 14 last year. Only two women finished inside the top 17 in 2021. It’s probably best to swerve the ladies this week.
This is a simple resort-type course and the extra distance doesn’t really hinder the men. Alexander Bjork has been in metronomic form while Alex Noren brings some class to proceedings. There is actually a decent field this week, with the like of Macintyre, Rozner and Paul looking for some Ryder Cup points.
Past Winners
2022: Linn Grant (-24)
2021: Jonathan Caldwell (-17)
To Win Outright:
Linn Grant 14/1 | Alex Noren 13/1 | Alexander Bjork 16/1 | Robert Macintyre 20/1 | Yannik Paul 28/1
Value Bets
Joost Luiten- To Win 28/1
This is the sort of week where I would expect six-time DP World Tour winner Joost Luiten to flourish. He has been steadily rising in the Race to Dubai standings courtesy of some decent finishes of late. He has been hovering in and around the top 20 for the last few weeks. His lack of length off the tee should be of little consequence this week. He has finished third three times this year and he should like the look of this field.
Andy Sullivan- To Win 50/1
Andy Sullivan is a four-time DP World Tour winner who just loves birdie fests. He won the 2015 Portugal Masters with a score of 23-under-par and the 2020 English Championship with a score of 27-under-par. Sullivan has a decent record in Sweden, picking up three top-20 finishes in five starts. That victory at the English Championship also came at a low-scoring Nicklaus design. At his best, Sullivan is a brilliant approach player with the ability to go red-hot with the putter. 17/1 for him to place is just a ludicrous price for an established winner. He has looked decent in recent weeks, lying first or 2nd after round one in three of his last six starts.
The Man to Beat- Alexander Bjork- To Win 18/1 | To Place 39/10
I just can’t look past Bjork in this type of form. He has 2023 form figures of 28-16-2-42-28-16-4-4-29-6. The fact that he finished sixth at the North Course last week tells you everything you need to know about the Swede’s current form. That course is a monster and Bjork is one of the shorter drivers around. This layout should play far more into his strengths. It is a fiddly test and Bjork is accuracy personified. He also has an excellent short game that should come to the fore this week. He currently lies 11th on the DP World Tour for SG: Putting.
