There’s something special happening this week in Naples, Florida, and it’s about time we talk much more about why events like the Grant Thornton Invitational represent what professional golf desperately needs more of.
For too long, men’s and women’s golf have existed in parallel universes. Separate tours, separate coverage, separate conversations. But when you put the world’s best players together on the same course, competing as teammates, you get a glimpse of what the sport could be. The Grant Thornton Invitational isn’t just another tournament on the calendar. It’s a statement about what golf can be when we stop treating it as two separate games and start celebrating it as one. We need more events that break down these antiquated barriers.
Imagine taking this concept even further: simultaneous PGA Tour and LPGA Tour events at the same venue, running side-by-side. For the first two rounds, the tours could play different courses at the facility or alternate tee times on the same course, each competing for their own cut line. Then, over the weekend, both tours would play the same championship course from their respective yardages, with coordinated coverage showcasing the best of both tours in one compelling broadcast. One venue, two tours, unified coverage. That’s the kind of progression golf needs right now.
But let’s start here, with the Grant Thornton Invitational: a tournament that gets it fundamentally right.
A Tournament That Gets It Right
Now in its third year, the Grant Thornton Invitational brings together 16 mixed teams featuring stars from both the PGA Tour and LPGA. This isn’t some gimmicky exhibition. It’s a co-sanctioned event that matters, played at Tiburón Golf Club, the same venue that hosts the LPGA’s season finale. The fact that these athletes are competing on a course they know and respect adds legitimacy to an already compelling format.
The three-round structure stands out because each day features a different format. It’s not just about finding one skill set. It tests versatility, strategy, and genuine partnership.
Three Days, Three Challenges
Round one kicks off with a Scramble format. Both players hit tee shots, select the best ball, and continue from there until the hole is complete. It’s aggressive, it’s fun, and it produces some eye-popping scores. Last year’s opening round saw eventual winners Jake Knapp and Patty Tavatanakit fire a blistering 58, just two shots off the tournament record of 56 set by Tony Finau and Nelly Korda in 2023. Fun golf to watch for sure.
Saturday switches to Foursomes, or alternate shot, where teammates trade shots with the same ball. One player tees off on odd holes, the other on evens, and they alternate from there. It’s strategic, demanding, and reveals which teams have genuine chemistry.
Sunday brings the Modified Four-Ball, a fascinating twist where both players tee off, then switch balls for their second shots and play that ball until it’s holed. The lower score counts. It’s a format that rewards both individual excellence and tactical thinking.
Teams Worth Watching
The defending champions, Tavatanakit and Knapp, return to defend their one-shot victory from 2024. But they’ll face stiff competition from the 2023 winners, Lydia Ko and Jason Day, who know exactly what it takes to win this thing.
The Canadian duo of Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners have finished T4 the last two years and will be hungry to break through. Nelly Korda, coming off another stellar season, teams with Denny McCarthy. And in a particularly compelling storyline, 21-year-olds Lottie Woad and Luke Clanton (both former world No. 1 amateurs) will become the youngest team in tournament history.
Then there’s Jessica Korda, returning to competition for the first time since becoming a mom, paired with Bud Cauley. These human stories matter, and this format gives them room to breathe.
Why This Matters for Golf’s Future
Golf has a visibility problem when it comes to the women’s game. Despite the incredible talent on the LPGA (players who can absolutely stripe it), they don’t get the same coverage, the same sponsorship dollars, or the same cultural attention as their male counterparts.
The Grant Thornton Invitational doesn’t just put women’s golf on equal footing. It makes that equality impossible to ignore. When Charley Hull and Michael Brennan are competing as equals, when Rose Zhang and Michael Kim are strategizing together, when the broadcast treats both players with the same respect and attention, it normalizes something that should have always been normal.
This format also showcases something about golf that gets lost in the individual grind of tour life: it’s more fun as a team sport. The camaraderie, the strategy sessions, the shared celebrations. This is golf at its most human. And when young fans see their heroes from both tours competing together, it sends a powerful message: great golf is great golf, regardless of who’s hitting the shot.
We need more of this. More co-sanctioned events, more shared stages, more opportunities for the best players in the world to compete together. The Grant Thornton Invitational shows it can work. It’s compelling television and compelling competition. When we stop segregating the game by gender, everybody wins, especially golf itself.