Turning professional in any sport is a big accomplishment, but it comes with added pressure for those at the top of their game. As the former No. 1 ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Ingrid Lindblad knows this all too well, having spent 53 weeks at the top before officially starting her professional golf journey on the Road to the LPGA Tour.

The 24-year-old made her pro debut at the conclusion of the Louisiana State University golf season earlier this year and teed it up for the first time at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship in June. She missed the cut that week, which was disappointing for Lindblad, but at the same time, it was also a sigh of relief for the former LSU Tiger.

Since then, the 2024 Epson Tour rookie has made four cuts in five starts and recorded three top-10 finishes, including two runner-up showings at the Island Resort Championship and Guardian Championship.

“I think everyone kind of expected me to win the first tournament,” said Lindblad. “It didn’t turn out that way, which I thought was kind of nice. It took the pressure off a little bit. It’s a big difference being out here. I’m trying to tell myself that the golf is the same, but the surroundings are a little different.”

Her solid finish in Prattville, Ala., moved Lindblad to No. 29 in the Race for the Card, up 24 spots from her position at the start of the week, and a final stretch of strong results at the Tuscaloosa Toyota Classic, Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout and Epson Tour Championship could see the Swede ultimately earn her LPGA Tour card for 2025. Despite competing as a professional for less than half a season, Lindblad has already shown that she is more than ready to test her game amongst the best in the world. It’s just a matter of when she will get to do so.

“It’s not even my first year. It’s a half year, so if I could do that, it would be pretty cool,” said Lindblad. “I’m just trying to take one round at a time and even one shot at a time. We’ll see what happens.”

In the meantime, the Baton Rouge, La., resident is finding ways to keep the pressure off during tournament weeks. On the course, Lindblad is heavily focused on her routine, but off the course, she relies on diamond painting – a bedazzled paint by numbers – and comfort shows to blow off steam.

“You buy a canvas that’s already sticky and put diamonds in spots,” said Lindblad. “I usually do that and put on a TV show or movie. I’ve watched Modern Family a lot and have probably watched Grey’s Anatomy like five times. It’s very relaxing.”

Lindblad’s final push of her rookie season starts now at the Tuscaloosa Toyota Championship. She tees off Ol’ Colony’s first hole at 12:33 p.m. local time on Friday.

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