In just her second start as an LPGA member, Mississauga’s Savannah Grewal has already contended for a title.
A third round course record of 64 put the 22 year-old in the mix at this week’s Blue Bay LPGA in China. She did not back down on Sunday, recording a final round of 68 marred by just a single bogey on the 18th hole.
Her 13-under-par total for the week earned her part of a three-way share of 4th place with veterans Lydia Ko and Minjee Lee. She did not look out of place on Hainan Island amongst those luminaries and she seemed to play with the confidence of a veteran to finish out the event. She cashed a healthy first LPGA official pay cheque as well, some $95,907. And you can add another $20 to that unofficially, courtesy of her caddy and brother Jordan who offered up the sum if Savannah chipped in from the back of the green on the 5th hole. She obliged for her second of five birdies on the day.
Grewal said afterwards that she really enjoyed the day. “I mean, it was just a lot of fun. I played with Rachel (Ruixin Liu) before so it was nice to have a familiar face in the group. And to be playing with Minjee was a little surreal because I feel like I’ve seen her on TV so much, and to be actually there playing with her was really cool.
And then also just seeing the crowds was amazing. Like I loved it. It was the coolest thing ever. In college golf you don’t get people besides your parents watching. For there to be crowds and cheering was really good, and I felt like it fed me a lot of good energy too, which was a lot fun. And having my brother on the bag is always good time so we had some good laughs out there.”
Despite missing the cut in her first event of 2024, at the LPGA Drive-On Championship, it’s clear that Grewal has the skills to be on the circuit. She proved that in her illustrious college career at Clemson and her blitz of the LPGA Q-Series where she was deep under par for her cumulative total.
Her play this week was proof of that to her.
“I think this just honestly proved to myself that I’m good enough to be out here and good enough to come out here and not just try to survive and make the cut, but come out here and compete with the best players in the world.
Definitely feel like I can take a lot of confidence and excited for the rest of the season especially because this is just the beginning.”
Grewal will be back in play next on March 21 when the LPGA’s FIR HILLS SERIPAK Championship begins in California. She’ll join other Canadians Brooke Henderson and Maude-Aimee Leblanc in that field.
