The Grant Thornton Invitational: Your Cheat Sheet to This Week's Mixed Mayhem
16 teams, $4 million on the line, and some absolutely stacked pairings you need to know about.
What's happening: The Grant Thornton Invitational is back at Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Florida -yes, the same place where the LPGA just wrapped its 2024 season a few weeks ago. (Someone on the grounds crew deserves a raise.) This week, 16 mixed teams are competing for a $4 million purse, and the lineup is stacked.
The vibe: One LPGA star, one PGA Tour player, all the competitive energy. Some duos are returning champions trying to defend their titles, while others are brand-new partnerships we're absolutely here for.
Defending champs in the house:
- Patty Tavatanakit & Jake Knapp (2024 winners) are back
- Lydia Ko & Jason Day (2023 winners) are also returning—because apparently winning once wasn't enough
New teams to watch: Fresh partnerships include Lottie Woad & Luke Clanton and Maja Stark & Neal Shipley. Both pairings feature rookies, which means we're either about to witness some fearless golf or some extremely entertaining chaos. (Possibly both.)
The full field breakdown:
Teams (16):
- Charley Hull & Michael Brennan
- Jessica Korda & Bud Cauley
- Lottie Woad & Luke Clanton
- Lexi Thompson & Wyndham Clark
- Brooke Henderson & Corey Conners
- Lydia Ko & Jason Day
- Lilia Vu & Tony Finau
- Jennifer Kupcho & Chris Gotterup
- Angel Yin & Tom Hoge
- Andrea Lee & Billy Horschel
- Rose Zhang & Michael Kim
- Patty Tavatanakit & Jake Knapp
- Nelly Korda & Denny McCarthy
- Megan Khang & Keith Mitchell
- Lauren Coughlin & Andrew Novak
- Maja Stark & Neal Shipley
The credentials are serious:
2025 LPGA winners in the field (7): Brooke Henderson, Charley Hull, Lottie Woad, Lydia Ko, Jennifer Kupcho, Maja Stark, and Angel Yin all brought hardware home this year. That's nearly half the LPGA side with wins already under their belts.
2025 PGA Tour winners (3): Michael Brennan, Chris Gotterup, and Andrew Novak are repping the men's side with victories this season.
World rankings flex:
- 12 women from the Top 50 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings, including No. 2 Nelly Korda, No. 5 Charley Hull, and No. 6 Lydia Ko
- 7 men from the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings
First-timers (12): Michael Brennan, Bud Cauley, Luke Clanton, Wyndham Clark, Chris Gotterup, Michael Kim, Jessica Korda, Keith Mitchell, Andrew Novak, Neal Shipley, Lottie Woad, and Angel Yin are all Grant Thornton rookies. That's a lot of fresh energy.
Actual rookies (3): Lottie Woad (LPGA), Michael Brennan (PGA), and Luke Clanton (PGA) are in their first full seasons on tour. The fact that they're already here? That's the kind of confidence we love to see.
Bottom line: This field is absolutely loaded with talent, storylines, and potential drama. Whether you're here for the returning champs, the powerhouse pairings, or the rookies who have nothing to lose—this week is going to deliver.
Now someone please explain how Lydia Ko finds time to win everything while also being the nicest person in golf. We need answers.
Who are you rooting for this week? Hit reply and let us know.
