After debuting to rave reviews last year, the Grant Thornton Invitational is back. The mixed-team challenge that features PGA and LPGA players competing together returns to Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida with the same setup we saw last year when the duo of Lydia Ko and Jason Day emerged victorious. The three-day event features a different format every day with 16 mixed teams going against each other. The opening round will be a scramble followed by foursomes on Saturday. The final round will be 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. The team of Jeeno Thitikul and Tom Kim opened as the betting favorite with Nelly Korda/Tony Finau close behind. Visit Bookmaker.eu for updated odds and to place your wager.
Grant Thornton Invitational Betting Odds
Tom Kim / Jeeno Thitikul +525
Tony Finau / Nelly Korda +550
Jason Day / Lydia Ko +715
Corey Conners / Brooke Henderson +716
Sahith Theegala / Allisen Corpuz +951
Akshay Bhatia / Jennifer Kupcho +991
Rickie Fowler / Lexi Thompson +1001
Max Greyserman / Andrea Lee +1401
J.T. Poston / Maja Stark +1601
Nick Dunlap / Gabriela Ruffels +1601
Matthieu Pavon / Celine Boutier +1772
Matt Kuchar / Megan Khang +2002
Cameron Young / Lauren Coughlin +2002
Luke List / Lilia Vu +2502
Jake Knapp / Patty Tavatanakit +3403
Cameron Champ / Mel Reid +7506
Odds Analysis
Tom Kim / Jeeno Thitikul +525
In an event featuring all men or all women I wouldn’t go with the top three favorites. This is different, though, and 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 the energetic Kim and Thitikul, who won the LPGA season-ending tournament on this course.
Tony Finau / Nelly Korda +550
Gong purely on star power this is the team to beat. Korda was a menace on the Ladies side winning seven tournaments, including a major, and was the LPGA’s Rolex Player of the Year. She is also the No. 1 ranked women’s player in the world. Finau didn’t have his best season but the bar was raised by his consistent play in years past. He took some time off to recuperate from knee surgery a few months ago. He had a stretch of three straight top 10s, including a podium at the U.S. Open in June.
Corey Conners / Brooke Henderson +716
I do believe there is a benefit to having played together in the past and this team was solid last year. Two of Canada’s finest golfers finished a shot off the pace and have some unfinished business ahead of them. Neither won on their respective Tour but they were lurking in the shadows a number of times. Henderson had nine top 10s while Conners collected four top 10s among his 13 top 25s. Conners also competed in the Olympics and will finish the year as his country’s top ranked male golfer.
Jason Day / Lydia Ko +715
It’s been a whirlwind for Ko since winning here last year. She became a LPGA Hall of Famer after winning three tournaments, including a major, and claiming gold at the Olympics. Two of her career victories have come on the Tiburon course so she has unsurpassed knowledge. It might seem like Day is riding the coattails, but he was a member of the international Presidents Cup team and recorded four top 10s on the PGA Tour.
Sahith Theegala / Allisen Corpuz +951
It’s not often that good friends get to compete together, but that’s the case with this team. They both competed in this event last year with a different partner and neither threatened. Perhaps putting them together is the magic elixir. Corpuz hasn’t won since last year’s US Women’s Open but she was consistent making all but four cuts while contributing to the American’s Solheim Cup victory. Theegala finished third in the FedExCup standings behind nine top 10s and is coming off an eighth-place finish at the Hero World Challenge.
Course: Tiburon Golf Club – 7,382 yards, par 72 (M); 6,788 yards, par 72 (W)
In an effort to galvanize the golf community the PGA and LPGA co-sanctioned 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. Day/Ko won the inaugural event by one-shot over Canadians Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson. They are two of four teams returning for this event.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel, NBC
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