Swedish imports have long been revered in America. The Scandinavian nation has given the United States many objects like IKEA, ABBA and the Nobel Prize. This weekend, another Swedish import was added to the list, junior Lady Vols golfer Nathalie Mansson, a native of Stockholm, Sweden.
During this weekend’s Rebel Intercollegiate Tournament in Oxford, Miss., Mansson literally came out swinging. She was able to not only guide the Lady Vols to a commanding 30-stroke team victory but also captured her third career individual title.
“It was awesome for me to win and even better for the team,” Mansson said. “We have been working so hard, and every one of us got together and played well at the same time.”
Mansson opened up the first round in an unassuming manner by hitting par for the course, which was good enough to tie for seventh. By the second day, though, Mansson’s name was visibile at the top of the leaderboard. She finished by tying a career-best 5-under par 67.
“Everything came together,” UT women’s coach Judi Pavon said. “She was hitting the ball well, and she started to make some putts. It just boosted her confidence.”
Mansson’s woes on the green were an aspect of her game she felt held her back on the first day.
“(The difference was) just the putting,” she said. “I played really well on the first day and gave myself a lot of birdie chances. I just couldn’t connect. I made my putts on the second day, though.”
Going into the third and final day, Mansson’s lead dwindled, as she shot two-over par. By the end of the last hole, she found herself in a playoff with teammate Erica Popson for the title.
While both players were tied through the first two holes, Mansson, an All-American, pulled away for the victory on the third playoff hole. While many players might have viewed going head-to-head with a teammate as a negative, to Mansson, this way of finishing was an obvious positive.
“We both came to the tournament to win,” she said. “It just was really good to have someone to compete next to on the same team to help us get better. It was good for both of us.”
“I don’t know how friendly the rivalry was there, but they both are competitive and both wanted to win,” Pavon said. “They were really focused on playing well. And it was tough as a coach to have both of them in there, because all you can do is hope they both play well. And they did, but Nathalie came out on top.”
For the tournament, Mansson shot rounds of 72, 67 and 74, for a total score of 213(-3). While for many a weekend like this might serve as a crowning achievement, Mansson still sees room for improvement.
“I have to be better at everything still,” she said. “Especially my driver, I’ve been struggling with that a lot. I have to get more solid and keep it straight. There’s just some changes I got to make to be better.”
For her coach, though, Pavon viewed Mansson’s progress optimistically.
“With as great of a player she is, she has yet to have a great SEC tournament or NCAA tournament,” Pavon said. “But I think that after this performance and getting a win under her belt will really boost her confidence. And hopefully that’ll allow her to really perform well this postseason.”
