Maja Stark and Linn Grant are set for their second Solheim Cup appearances after making their debut in Spain in 2023.
The Swedish duo have embarked on similar careers having both turned professional in 2021 and each have six wins on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
Last year in Spain, the pair teamed up together in the foursomes losing their first match 2&1 but winning their second match 1 up.
With this being their second outing in Team Europe colours, Stark and Grant now know what to expect when standing on the first tee and feel more comfortable in that situation.
“After playing in Spain last year, like the end of the season got a little bit boring just because like this week is so much fun,” said Grant.
“There’s so much adrenaline. It’s really hard to like have the same experience as that because this is like the top of what we’re doing. In the back of my head, I wish that every week was like this because it’s so surreal and all the feelings that you feel while you’re playing — you’re nervous, you’re scared, you’re happy, the adrenaline.
“It’s like a whole another level of golf that you have to think about. For me, just having this fan experience in the back of my head, knowing that I will be nervous on the first tee, and that I will be in situations where I’m not always very comfortable, and it’s just very nice to have that with me going into this week.”
Stark echoed the thoughts of her friend and teammate, she said: “Going into Spain there were so many question marks about how will I react to this? How am I going to feel on the 1st tee?
“I never really do big gestures and stuff when I make a putt, and then all of a sudden at Solheim, I just started screaming and fist pumps and everything. I had no idea that was going to come out.
“I know that that might happen this week. It’s just nice to know a little bit more about what to expect. It takes a little bit less energy this time because you don’t go around thinking about it all the time.”
Robert Trent Jones Golf Club will provide a different challenge to the hilly Finca Cortesin of last year.
There are more bunkers in play with 76 on the golf course, meanwhile there are three water hazards with water being in play on eight out of the 18 holes.
Even though it’s a different style of golf, Stark and Grant are looking forward to the challenge and lots of birdies.
Stark explained: “This is easier to walk, so that’s great. I think this is a little bit softer to the greens. It feels like it’s playing a little bit shorter than Finca. We’ve only played the front nine so far, so maybe that’s why.
“You get some really long bunker shots here. There are a lot of bunkers on the back nine which are very strategically placed. So that’s something we didn’t really have to worry about last time.”
Grant added: “Just playing yesterday and today, the course is playing quite soft, but the condition of the place is so nice. I get a really nice feeling when I’m playing. You feel like you can play really well here.
“I feel like it’s going to be a really good week for everyone. There’s going to be a lot of birdies. At the end of the day, we just want to go out and play really good golf, and I think that’s very possible here. This is more target golf than Finca was, to me at least.”
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