The full 32-player field for the second annual Grant Thornton Invitational, the mixed-team golf tournament set for this December in Naples, is set.
The final dozen teams announced Tuesday are:
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
These pairings join the four previously announced: defending Grant Thornton champions Lydia Ko and Jason Day, Nelly Korda and Tony Finau, Lexi Thompson and Rickie Fowler, and Jeeno Thitikul and Tom Kim.
Last year: Former world No. 1s Lydia Ko, Jason Day win inaugural 2023 Grant Thornton Invitational
The star-laden group includes 25 of the world’s top 50 ranked PGA and LPGA golfers and has a combined 149 victories on the tours. There are nine major champions in the field, including two from the 2024 LPGA season. Thirteen of the golfers competed at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
“We are thrilled with the collection of world-class players heading to Southwest Florida this December,” Grant Thornton tournament director Rob Hartman said. “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 16 mixed teams, evenly comprised of PGA and LPGA players, will compete for an equal $4 million purse. The three-day tournament, which will consist of three distinct playing formats in scramble, foursome and modified four-ball, is set for Dec. 13-15 at the Tiburón Golf Club in Naples and will be televised by NBC and Golf Channel.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit grantthorntoninvitational.com.
Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings (WWGR); Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR)
These former World No. 1s and defending Grant Thornton champions have combined for the most individual titles in the field. The 27-year-old Ko, a New Zealand native, has 22 career victories, including her third major this year. She also won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics and is an LPGA Hall of Famer. The 36-year-old Day, who is from Australia, has won 13 times, including the 2015 PGA Championship.
Korda, 26, has 14 career victories and Finau, 35, has six. Korda has recorded six wins this season, including five victories in consecutive starts and a major win at The Chevron Championship. Finau has five top-10 finishes this season. Korda and Finau also competed for Team USA this past fall at the Solheim Cup and Presidents Cup, respectively.
The returning team of Thompson, 29, and Fowler, 35, finished T6 last year. They 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. Fowler has three Presidents Cup and five Ryder Cup appearances and has played in one Olympics.
Last year’s runner-up by one stroke, this Canadian team has a combined 15 career victories and represented Team Canada at this year’s Olympics. The 27-year-old Henderson is a two-time major champion and Conners, 32, has won the Valero Texas Open for his two career titles. They also have a total of 12 top-10 finishes this year.
Vu, 27, is a five-time winner on the LPGA Tour, with four victories last season including two major championships. The 39-year-old List has two PGA wins, picking up his second toward the end of last season.
Zhang, 21, and Theegala, 26, both earned their first career victories with Zhang picking up her second LPGA victory in 2024. They have combined for 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.
A native of Thailand, the 21-year-old Thitikul has three career wins on the LPGA Tour, one of those this year. Kim, 22, has three career PGA wins since joining the tour in 2022. This year, they have a combined 13 top-10 finishes. This is the youngest team at the Grant Thornton.
Tavatanakit, 25, is from Thailand and has earned two career LPGA wins, a major in 2021 and her second this year. Knapp, 30, earned his first PGA victory this year at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld. Both played their collegiate golf at the UCLA and have a combined eight top-10 finishes this year.
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, 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.
Boutier, 30, has won six times, including a major championship, and Pavon, 31, secured his first PGA 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.
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 PGA victory and seven top-10 finishes. He also earned a playoff win over Rory McIlroy on the DP World Tour. Last year, this team finished T14 at the Grant Thornton.
Kupcho, 27, has three career LPGA wins, including one major, and has six top-10 finishes this year. She has competed in three Solheim Cup competitions, including this year. Bhatia, 22, has two career PGA victories, including this year’s Valero Texas Open.
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 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.
Coughlin, 32, picked up her first two career victories this year and 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 career. They have a combined 14 top-10 finishes this season.
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. At last year’s Grant Thornton, Reid teamed with Russell Henley and finished 13th while Champ competed with Allisen Corpuz and finished T14.
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 article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Grant Thornton Invitational field includes Lydia Ko, Jason Day, Rose Zhang
