Tony Finau and Nelly Korda to team up at the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational in December
US golfers Tony Finau and Nelly Korda will be teaming up at the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational, which will take place from December 8-10 2023 at the Tiburon Golf Club and The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburon.
The tournament was unveiled by the PGA and the LPGA Tours and will be the first mixed-team event since 1999. John Daly and Laura Davies won the final edition of the JCPenney Classic.
Tony Finau took to social media to announce his new partnership with Nelly Korda at the debut season of the Grant Thornton Invitational. He wrote:
"I’ll be teaming up with @NellyKorda at the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational in December to take on top players from across the PGA TOUR and LPGA! Proud to join @GrantThorntonUS!"
I’ll be teaming up with @NellyKorda at the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational in December to take on top players from across the PGA TOUR and LPGA! Proud to join @GrantThorntonUS! GT.com/golf https://t.co/snlCP2sj31
Nelly Korda also announced the new pairing on her social media account. She wrote:
"Excited to announce I’ll be teeing it up at the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational in December with my partner @tonyfinaugolf to take on top talent from the PGA TOUR and LPGA in a new and groundbreaking mixed team event. See you in Naples!"
Rickie Fowler, Cameron Champ, Jess Korda, and Mel Reid will also be taking part in the mixed-team tournament along with Finau and Korda.
Finau was all praise for the Grant Thornton Invitational as it will see a merge of the PGA and the LPGA Tours. He said (according to Golf Digest):
"PGA Tour athletes playing alongside the best athletes from the LPGA Tour is going to be incredible for our fans. They’ve been wanting something like this for a long time. Our fans deserve it and seeing Grant Thornton stepping up to help the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour put together this tournament, I think is very special."
Rickie Fowler and Jess Korda team up for the Grant Thornton Invitational
The Grant Thornton Invitational will replace the QBE Shootout, which was a team stroke-play event previously held at Tiburon. It was started by Greg Norman in 1989 and was sanctioned through last year by the PGA Tour.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan spoke about the tournament in a press release:
"As we look to capitalize on the growing interest in the game of golf, the addition of a mixed event to the calendar has been a priority, and we greatly appreciate title sponsor Grant Thornton for their support in delivering an event that will make our sport more appealing and welcoming to all."
He further stated that the PGA Tour is excited to partner with the LPGA Tour:
"We look forward to partnering with the LPGA as we deliver first-class entertainment and competition to our fans and the residents of Southwest Florida, who have embraced the PGA Tour for the past 22 years."
Although teams and structures are yet to be finalized, a few teams have announced their pairing. Rickie Fowler and Jess Korda have teamed up for the tournament which will take place in December this year.
Fowler took to social media to make the announcement. He wrote:
"Excited to share that I’m teaming up with @Thejessicakorda for the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational this December to play against top players from both the @PGATOUR and @LPGA!"
Excited to share that I’m teaming up with @Thejessicakorda for the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational this December to play against top players from both the @PGATOUR and @LPGA! Learn more at GT.com/golf https://t.co/UG2HXAWZzz
Jess Korda also announced the new partnership on her social media account. She wrote:
"Proud to be a part of the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational this December! Can’t wait to partner up with @RickieFowler to take on the best from the PGA TOUR and LPGA in this exciting, new co-sanctioned event. See you in Naples!"
Proud to be a part of the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational this December! Can’t wait to partner up with @RickieFowler to take on the best from the PGA TOUR and LPGA in this exciting, new co-sanctioned event. See you in Naples!
Learn more at GT.com/golf https://t.co/jkcgCmD6xp
It will certainly be an exciting tournament and surely fans will find it difficult to wait for this epic clash.