Four years ago, Brazilian golfer Lauren Grinberg, 26, was involved in a serious motorcycle accident which prompted her to quit the sport.
But in 2023, after going through two surgeries, the former Brazilian women’s No. 1 amateur made a successful comeback by winning a handful of local tournaments within South America.
Having secured status on the LET Access Series (LETAS) through Q-School last December and turned professional in 2025, Grinberg is now chasing her golfing dreams across the Atlantic on the LETAS.
“Once you make the decision to turn pro, you know that you’re either going to the U.S or coming here to Europe,” she said. “I’ve played amateur golfer my entire life in Brazil and South America. The thing is, in South America or Brazil, there are no professional Tours for women.
“It took me a while to get established in Brazil, become number one amateur and win a couple tournaments. Coming here, it’s just one step closer to all the dreams that I have. I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”
At the CSK Steel Women’s Open in Himmerland Resort, Denmark, Grinberg will compete in just her third LETAS event this season among a field of 132 players.
Born in Sao Paulo, Grinberg grew up in a house inside a golf course. She picked up the sport by following in the footsteps of her younger brother, Guilherme.
“With women at the moment (from Brazil), we don’t really have any professionals playing,” she said. “We had Victoria Lovelady play the Olympics. She used to play on the LET and she was a big inspiration for me growing up. I’m hoping to be the inspiration for the next generation.”
After she got injured from the motorcycle accident, she took some time away from golf.
“When I didn’t play for two years, it was because I quit,” she said. “I think it was a bunch of things. I was almost done with college back then, we had Covid, so it was basically at the same time. So a lot of time to think, and just being home with my family just made me realise at that time that’s what I needed.
“So I took those two years, and it just came back naturally. One day I feel like I just woke up and it clicked in me like, oh, I have to go back to golf because that’s what I love to do, and give it one more shot before calling it quits.”
Since then, Grinberg has never looked back. Competing for the first year in a new continent, the Sao Paulo native’s immediate priority is simply to get used to her new environment before pushing for loftier goals.
“It’s a bit of a long travel from Brazil,” she admitted. “Me, my mom and my family, we’re just trying to figure out which tournaments to play based mostly on logistics. It’s a little bit different from back home.
“I want to get more confident with my game. I feel like when you step up a level, it can take a while for you to get used to everything. It can be a little rough because everything’s so new, and you have high expectations because of where you came from.
“I’m basically trying to get used to this rhythm, enjoy and get used to being a professional golfer and I’ll try to come back strong and play all the tournaments next year.”
Eventually, Grinberg hopes to represent her country at the Olympic Games and reach the LPGA Tour.
“I really want to get there,” she added. “The Olympic Games, that’s one of my biggest goals of all time. I want to inspire all the girls back home, show them that we can be playing on the biggest Tours and against the players we watch on TV.”
Grinberg will begin her first round of the CSK Steel Women’s Open at 9.25am (local time) from the 1st tee alongside Singapore’s Aloysa Atienza and English amateur Izzy Hurrion.
Keep up with all the action on the LETAS on our socials – @LETAccess on Instagram and X and LET Access Series on Facebook.
