NAPLES, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tournament officials today announced the remaining 12 teams that will compete in the Grant Thornton Invitational, set to return Dec. 13-15, 2024, at the Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Florida.
The final 12 mixed teams for the second annual event include:
- Céline Boutier and Matthieu Pavon
- Rose Zhang and Sahith Theegala
- Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners
- Lauren Coughlin and Cameron Young
- Andrea Lee and Billy Horschel
- Mel Reid and Cameron Champ
- Lilia Vu and Luke List
- Gabriela Ruffels and Nick Dunlap
- Megan Khang and Matt Kuchar
- Patty Tavatanakit and Jake Knapp
- Jennifer Kupcho and Akshay Bhatia
- Maja Stark and J.T. Poston
This year’s field has a combined 149 LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR career victories, with 20 of those wins occurring this season. There are nine major champions in the field, including two major winners from the 2024 LPGA Tour season. Additionally, 10 LPGA Tour participants competed in last month’s Solheim Cup while five PGA TOUR players participated in this year’s Presidents Cup. Thirteen members of the field represented their country at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and eight different countries will be represented in Naples this December.
“We are thrilled with the collection of world-class players heading to southwest Florida this December. Interest from both tours continues to be strong, and we are incredibly pleased with the 16 mixed teams we’ve assembled,” said Rob Hartman, Grant Thornton Invitational Tournament Director. “These final 12 teams are comprised of many of the game’s rising stars, current-year LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR winners and members of both the 2024 Solheim Cup and Presidents Cup. Our inaugural year was extremely well-received, and we know that our tournament partners, fans and our global television audience are sure to again enjoy an exciting and unique three days of competition.”
The tournament’s 32-player field, which is evenly comprised of PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour professionals playing on 16 mixed teams, will compete for an equal purse of $4 million, while also experiencing equal visibility and a different format each day. The unique and exciting approach during the three-day professional competition will include Scramble, Foursomes and a Modified Four-Ball format. More information on the format can be found here: Grant Thornton Invitational golf tournament unveils three distinct formats for mixed-team play.
Information on the 16 teams competing can be found below:
WWGR = Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings; OWGR = Official World Golf Ranking
Lydia Ko (WWGR: 4) and Jason Day (OWGR: 33):
As the defending champions of the Grant Thornton Invitational, these former World No. 1 players have the most individual career titles in the field. Ko, 27, from New Zealand, has won 22 times, including three times this year while picking up her third major. She also won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics and has earned a spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame. Day, 36, from Australia, has won 13 times, including one major ’2015 PGA Championship.
Nelly Korda (WWGR: 1) and Tony Finau (OWGR: 26):
Korda, 26, has accumulated 14 career victories and Finau, 35, has six. Finau has five top-10 finishes this season while Korda has recorded six wins, including five victories in consecutive starts and a win at the LPGA Tour’s first major of the year, The Chevron Championship. Combined, they have 14 top-10 finishes this season. Korda and Finau also competed for Team USA this past fall at the Solheim Cup and Presidents Cup, respectively. They are also Grant Thornton ambassadors.
Lexi Thompson (WWGR: 49) and Rickie Fowler (OWGR: 66):
Finishing T6 last year, returning team Thompson, 29, and Fowler, 35, have a combined 17 career titles as professionals. Thompson is an 11-time LPGA Tour winner, two-time Olympian and has played on seven U.S. Solheim Cup teams, including this year. Fowler has three Presidents Cup and five Ryder Cup appearances and has played in one Olympics. He is also a Grant Thornton ambassador.
Brooke Henderson (WWGR: 22) and Corey Conners (OWGR: 37):
This Canadian team — and last year’s runner up by one stroke — has a combined 15 career victories and represented Team Canada at this year’s Olympics. Henderson, 27, is a two-time major champion and Conners, 32, has won the Valero Texas Open for his two career titles. This team has a total of 12 top-10 finishes this year.
Lilia Vu (WWGR: 2) and Luke List (OWGR: 101):
Vu, 27, is a five-time winner on the LPGA Tour, with four victories coming last season including two major championships. She has a new partner this year in List, 39, who has won twice on the PGA TOUR, picking up his second victory toward the end of last season.
Rose Zhang (WWGR: 12) and Sahith Theegala (OWGR: 13):
Returning West Coast team, Zhang, 21, and Theegala, 26, earned their first career victories last year. Zhang picked up her second LPGA Tour victory in 2024. Combined, they have 13 top-10 finishes this year. Theegala participated in the most recent Presidents Cup for the first time and Zhang was a member of her second U.S. Solheim Cup Team this year.
Jeeno Thitikul (WWGR: 7) and Tom Kim (OWGR: 25):
From Thailand, Thitikul, 21, has three career wins on the LPGA Tour, one of those this year. Kim, 22, has three career wins since joining the PGA TOUR in 2022. From South Korea, Kim has played for the International Team in two Presidents Cups in 2022 and 2024. This year, they have a combined 13 top-10 finishes. This is the youngest team in the field and their first time at the Grant Thornton Invitational.
Patty Tavatanakit (WWGR: 23) and Jake Knapp (OWGR: 81):
Tavatanakit, 25, is from Thailand and has earned two career wins on the LPGA Tour, a major in 2021 and her second victory this year. Knapp, 30, earned his first PGA TOUR victory this year at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld. Both played their collegiate golf at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and have a combined eight top-10 finishes this year. This will be their first time competing at the Grant Thornton Invitational.
Megan Khang (WWGR: 21) and Matt Kuchar (OWGR: 103):
Khang, 26, earned her first career victory last year. She has four top-10 finishes this year and was on the victorious U.S. Solheim Cup team this fall. Kuchar, 46, has won nine times on the PGA TOUR, most recently in 2019. He has one top-10 finish this year. Kuchar is familiar with this golf course, having won three times with Harris English in previous team competitions at Tiburón Golf Club.
Céline Boutier (WWGR: 8) and Matthieu Pavon (OWGR: 29):
Boutier, 30, has won six times, including a major championship, and Pavon, 31, secured his first PGA TOUR title this year. This French team, who also qualified for this year’s Paris Olympics, will be competing together in Naples for the first time. Last year, Boutier, playing with Harris English, finished 12th.
Andrea Lee (WWGR: 50) and Billy Horschel (OWGR: 17):
Lee, 26, and Horschel, 37, have a combined nine wins during their careers. Lee has five top-10 finishes this year, including a T3 at the Women’s U.S. Open. Horschel has enjoyed a resurgence this season, with his eighth victory on the PGA TOUR and seven top-10 finishes. He also earned a playoff win over Rory McIlroy on the DP World Tour. Last year, this team was T14.
Jennifer Kupcho (WWGR: 53) and Akshay Bhatia (OWGR: 31):
Kupcho, 27, has three career wins, including one major on the LPGA Tour and has recorded six top-10 finishes this year. She has competed in three Solheim Cup competitions, including the competition this past September. Bhatia, 22, has two career victories on the PGA TOUR, including this year’s Valero Texas Open. Kupcho and Bhatia will be playing in the Grant Thornton Invitational for the first time this year.
Gabriela Ruffels (WWGR: 46) and Nick Dunlap (OWGR: 34):
Ruffels, 24, is competing as a rookie on the LPGA Tour this year, having earned her way by finishing atop the Epson Tour money list in 2023. The young Aussie player has recorded four top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour this season. Dunlap, 20, has won twice on the PGA TOUR this season — once as an amateur and once as a professional. He also won the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur and the 2023 U.S. Amateur. Both individuals will be competing in the tournament for the first time this year.
Lauren Coughlin (WWGR: 14) and Cameron Young (OWGR: 32):
Coughlin, 32, picked up her first two career victories this year and is currently sixth in the Race to the CME Globe rankings. She also competed on the victorious U.S. Solheim Cup team in her home state of Virginia. Young, 27, has seven runner-up finishes in his PGA TOUR career. Combined, they have 14 top-10 finishes this season. They both played collegiate golf in the ACC — Coughlin for the University of Virginia and Young for Wake Forest University. They are both new to the tournament this year.
Mel Reid (WWGR: 374) and Cameron Champ (OWGR: 373):
Reid, 37, and Champ, 29, have a combined four career victories on their respective tours. Reid has been a member of four European Solheim Cup teams in her career and served as assistant captain of Team Europe this year. They will be a team for the first time at the Grant Thornton Invitational. Reid teamed with Russell Henley last year, finishing 13th. Champ competed with Allisen Corpuz and they finished T14. Reid and Champ are also Grant Thornton ambassadors.
Maja Stark (WWGR: 24) and J.T. Poston (OWGR: 40):
Stark, 24, and Poston, 31, have a combined four career wins, including Poston’s recent victory at the Shriners Children’s Open. Stark, from Sweden, was a member of the European Solheim Cup Team at this year’s competition. This will be their first time competing at the Grant Thornton Invitational.
When and how to enjoy the tournament
The Grant Thornton Invitational takes place from Friday, Dec. 13, through Sunday, Dec. 15, at Tiburón Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Florida.
The Golf Channel will broadcast Friday’s first round competition live from 1-4 p.m. ET. Saturday’s coverage will begin from 2-3 p.m. ET on Golf Channel, then switch to NBC from 3-5 p.m. ET. The final round coverage will air Sunday on Golf Channel from 1-2 p.m. ET and then switch to NBC from 2-4 p.m. ET.
Following Saturday’s round, Live Fest will once again be held on the Tiburón Driving Range from 5-10 p.m. ET. This year’s lineup includes Lauren Alaina, Goo Goo Dolls and Old Dominion.
For Grant Thornton Invitational tickets and additional information, visit the official tournament website: grantthorntoninvitational.com.
About the Grant Thornton Invitational
The second annual Grant Thornton Invitational will be played in Naples, Florida on Dec. 13-15, 2024, at Tiburón Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón. The invitational is a mixed-team Challenge Season event that will see 16 LPGA Tour and 16 PGA TOUR professionals compete together in a unique co-sanctioned tournament. The three-day tournament will be televised on NBC and Golf Channel and allows the 32-player field to compete for an equal prize and visibility — a format entering its second year in professional golf. The Grant Thornton Invitational supports a variety of worthy charities, including participants in Grant Thornton’s Purple Paladins program, several historically black colleges and universities, CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, Warriors of Collier County and Golisano Children’s Hospital.
About PGA TOUR
By showcasing golf’s greatest players, the PGA TOUR engages, inspires and positively impacts our fans, partners and communities worldwide.
The PGA TOUR, headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, co-sanctions tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Americas and administers PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry and PGA TOUR University. TOUR members represent the world’s best players, hailing from 28 countries and territories. Showcasing the biggest moments in the sport with history and legacy on the line, the PGA TOUR has long-term domestic distribution partnerships for broadcast coverage on CBS, NBC and Golf Channel and video streaming service on ESPN+. Internationally, PGA TOUR coverage is available across 200+ countries and territories in 28 languages via 44 broadcast and digital partners. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations to maximize charitable giving, and to date, tournaments across all Tours have generated more than $3.93 billion.
Fans can follow the PGA TOUR on the new PGA TOUR app and PGATOUR.COM, and on social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram (in Spanish, Korean and Japanese), LinkedIn, TikTok, X (in English, Spanish and Japanese), WhatsApp (in English and Spanish), WeChat, Weibo, Toutiao and Douyin.
About the LPGA
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is the world’s premier women’s professional golf organization. Created in 1950 by 13 pioneering female Founders, the LPGA, whose members now represent more than 60 countries, is the longest-standing professional women’s sports organization. Through the LPGA Tour, the Epson Tour, the LPGA Professionals, and a joint venture with the Ladies European Tour, the LPGA provides female professionals the opportunity to pursue their dreams in the game of golf at the highest level. In addition to its professional tours and teaching accreditation programs, the LPGA features a fully integrated Foundation, which provides best-in-class programming for female golfers through its junior golf programming, and its LPGA Amateurs division, which offers its members playing and learning opportunities around the world. LPGA aims to use its unique platform to inspire, transform and advance opportunities for girls and women, on and off the golf course.
Follow the LPGA online at www.LPGA.com and on its mobile apps. Join the social conversation on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram and YouTube.
About the LPGA Tour
The LPGA Tour is the world’s leading competitive destination for the best female professional golfers in the world. The Tour hosts more than 30 annual events across 10 countries for over 200 Active Players, awarding total prize funds exceeding $125 million and reaching television audiences in more than 220 countries. Follow the LPGA Tour on its U.S. television home, Golf Channel.
About Grant Thornton
“Grant Thornton” is the brand for two professional-services entities: Grant Thornton LLP, a licensed, certified public accounting (CPA) firm that provides audit and assurance services ― and Grant Thornton Advisors LLC (not a licensed CPA firm), which exclusively provides non-attest offerings, including tax and advisory services. With revenues of $2.4 billion for the fiscal year that ended July 31, 2023, and dozens of offices nationwide, Grant Thornton represents a community of more than 9,000 problem solvers, relationship builders, and industry specialists who know that how we serve matters as much as what we do.
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Grant Thornton LLP and Grant Thornton Advisors LLC serve as the U.S. member firms of the Grant Thornton International Ltd (GTIL) network. GTIL and its member firms are not a worldwide partnership and all member firms are separate legal entities. Member firms deliver all services; GTIL does not provide services to clients.
