A new mixed-team challenge event that includes PGA Tour and LPGA players competing together debuts this week in Florida with the Grant Thornton Invitational. The three-day event features a different format every day with 16 mixed teams going against each other at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples. The opening round will be a scramble followed by foursomes on Saturday. A new format to team play will take place in the final round with a modified version of four-ball where teammates tee off then switch golf balls for the remainder of the hole. The lowest score will count towards the team score. Tiburon should be familiar to most in the field since it hosted the unofficial QBE Shootout on the men’s side for a number of years. The women have played the CME Group Tour Championship on the property since 2013. One of the top men’s players in the field Tony Finau is paired with arguably the most recognizable LPGA player Nelly Korda as the opening betting favorites. Visit Bookmaker.eu for updated odds and to place your wager.
Grant Thornton Invitational Betting Odds
Tony Finau/Nelly Korda +550
Ludvig Aberg/Madelene Sagstrom +685
Sahith Theegala/Rose Zhang +875
Justin Rose/Charley Hull +925
Rickie Fowler/Lexi Thompson +1000
Lucas Glover/Leona Maguire +1150
Harris English/Celine Boutier +1150
Corey Conners/Brooke Henderson +1250
Nick Taylor/Ruoning Yin +1250
Joel Dahmen/Lilia Vu +1350
Jason Day/Lydia Ko +1350
Denny McCarthy/Megan Khang +1350
Billy Horschel/Andrea Lee +2050
Tom Hoge/Cheyenne Knight +2050
Russell Henley/Mel Reid +2050
Cameron Champ/Allisen Corpuz +2350
Odds Analysis
Tony Finau/Nelly Korda +550
In an event featuring all men or all women I wouldn’t go with the top three favorites. This is very different, though, and the initial playing using the unique format makes me rethink who I back. There have been other mixed tournaments in the past, so this isn’t completely new, and backing the most recognizable names isn’t a stretch. I will admit that I don’t know much about the women’s game and more research might be necessary to make a more informed wager. However, I don’t think I can wrong backing this team with Finau a two-time winner on the PGA Tour and Korda amassing nine top 10s on the ladies side.
Ludvig Aberg/Madelene Sagstrom +685
You can and oftentimes do see one player carry a team. I’m not saying that about anyone in particular, but Aberg has been solid since he helped the Europeans win the Ryder Cup a few months back. He ventured to the PGA Tour and emerged victorious last month at the RSM Classic for his first Tour title. He’s a solid player and has some history with his teammate since his caddie is engaged to Sagstrom. Sagstrom had three top 10s in the LPGA this season and is known for her accurate iron play, which will help on this course.
Sahith Theegala/Rose Zhang +875
If you like betting on youth this is a good place to start. Both players are tearing up their respective Tours as recent pros with Theegala finally getting his maiden win a few months ago at the Fortinet Championship. There were several close calls leading up to that so it was just a matter of time. Zhang followed up her stellar collegiate career at Stanford by winning her first LPGA start at the Mizuho Americas Open. I was a bit surprised the odds were this high for this duo and have no problem backing them.
Billy Horschel/Andrea Lee +2050
There are several former QBE Shootout winners in the field which may or may not give them an edge in this team format. Past experience on a course is typically viewed favorably, especially if the results are positive. Horschel and teammate Sam Burns finished one shot off the lead during the 2021 edition and he followed that up with three top 10s on the PGA Tour this season. Lee made her Solheim Cup debut this year and earned three top 10s on the LPGA Tour. She’s also a former world No. 1 ranked amateur. The odds are long but in a field of 16 teams anything can happen.
Joel Dahmen/Lilia Vu +1350
Paired with the best women’s player on the LPGA Tour this season give Dahmen a chance at victory. Vu dominated winning two majors among her four titles and was named the 2023 LPGA Player of the Year. Those are impressive accomplishments for anyone. Dahmen will have to hold up his end of the log and is more than capable. He didn’t win but five top 10s this season were spectacular enough to earn him a finish of 84th in the FedExCup standings.
Course: Tiburon Golf Club – 7,382 yards, par 72 (M); 6,595 yards, par 72 (W)
In an effort to galvanize the golf community the PGA and LPGA Tours are co-sanctioning an event for the first time since 1999. And to show just how equal the event is men will tee off from the championship tees with the course layout for them nearly 800 yards longer. That makes distance off the tee kind of a big deal on the longer holes. The course is lined with pine trees with a number of water hazards also coming into play. It’s an aesthetically pleasing layout that can bite back in a big way with a number of bunkers lining fairways and greens. Again, distance off the tee is important because of the length but accuracy is also a huge factor considering the number of hazards.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel, NBC
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