“Clutch” - Tony Finau and Nelly Korda laud each other as they take early lead at Grant Thornton Invitational

Tony Finau and Nelly Korda posted 16-under-56 in the first round of the Grant Thornton Invitational to take the one-stroke lead after the first day. The Finau-Korda duo parred just three holes and made 14 birdies and one eagle in the Friday round that was played in a scramble format.

Speaking at the post-round interview at the Tiburon, the six-time PGA Tour champion praised Korda's putting and called her clutch. He said, as per grantthorntoninvitational.com:

"Nelly was just clutch. I said it earlier, but anytime I wasn't able to make a very makeable putt, she chose to go second and kind of be our closer.

"When Nelly is following me around the course, it makes the game feel pretty simple. She was able to make the putts and clutch up when we really needed to make putts. Obviously she's very clutch, but to see it up close and have her shake all those ones in was a lot of fun to watch."

The praise was mutual, as the 2020 Olympic gold medalist was also in awe of her partner. She said:

"I got to see shots that normally I wouldn't let's say on the women's tour. That squeezer 9 you[Finau] hit on No. 17 was absolutely incredible. It's fun to see it firsthand, as well."

They are followed by Megan Khang/Denny McCarthy and Lucas Glover/Leona Maguire. Khang and McCarthy carded 27 on the back nine, while Maguire and Glover birdied the first of their 10 holes.

There was a four-way tie at the fourth, with Sahith Theegala/Rose Zhang, Nick Taylor/Angel Yin, Justin Rose/Charley Hull, and Jason Day/Lydia Ko shooting 14-under-58 on Friday.

Here's the leaderboard for the Grant Thornton Invitational after the first round:

1. Korda / Finau: -16
T2. Maguire / Glover: -15
T2. Khang /McCarthy: -15
T4. Zhang / Theegala: -14
T4. Yin / Taylor: -14
T4. Ko / Day: -14
T4. Hull / Rose: -14
T8. Corpuz / Champ: -13
T8. Henderson / Conners: -13
T10. Sagstrom / Åberg: -12
T10. Thompson / Fowler: -12
12. Vu / Dahmen: -11
13. Boutier / English: -9
T14. Reid / Henley: -8
T14. Lee / Horschel: -8
16. Knight / Hoge: -6

When will Tony Finau and Nelly Korda tee off in the second round of the Grant Thornton Invitational? Saturday tee times explored

The second round of the Grant Thornton Invitational will be played in a foursome format. The match will take place at 11:10 am ET with Andrea Lee and Billy Horschel taking on Tom Hoge and Cheyenne Knight.

Tony Finau and Nelly Korda will compete against Leona Maguire and Lucas Glover at 12:34 pm ET.

Here are the tee times for Saturday's round of the Grant Thornton Invitational (all times ET):

11:10 a.m. - Lee/Horschel and Knight/Hoge
11:22 a.m. - Boutier/English and Reid/Henley
11:34 a.m. - Thompson/Fowler and Vu/Dahmen
11:46 a.m. - Henderson/Conners and Sagstrom/Aberg
11:58 a.m. - Hull/Rose and Corpuz/Champ
12:10 p.m. - Yin/Taylor and Ko/Day
12:22 p.m. - Khang/McCarthy and Zhang/Theegala
12:34 p.m. - Korda/Finau and Maguire/Glover