Patty Tavatanakit and Jake Knapp held their nerve to earn a one-stroke win at the combined PGA Tour and LPGA Tour Grant Thornton Invitational.
The duo hit the ground running on day one, birdying the first nine holes en route to a 14-under-par 58.
On Day 2, Tavatanakit and Knapp actually increased their lead by two strokes as they cruised to No. 66 to top the leaderboard at 20 under par.
The final round saw them card a seven-under 65 in the modified four-ball format, finishing with 27 under.
Jeeno Thitikul and Tom Kim finished at 26 under, while Jennifer Kupcho and Akshay Bhatia were third at 25 under.
The mixed team event featuring PGA and LPGA Tour stars at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, uses three different formats over three rounds and ends with a modified four-ball, with both players teeing off and switching balls for their second shot before that time. Play the same ball until it is holed.
Tavatanakit and Knapp They admitted that they did not find it easy On the second day, as inclement weather made playing in the southernmost state in the United States difficult, but a positive mentality proved vital for the duo.
“I did well this week,” Tavatanakit said. “It was all fun. The chemistry was really good.”
The couple will share a $1 million prize for winning.
What is Grant Thornton’s calling?
The 54-hole competition is a coed event featuring 16 LPGA Tour professionals and 16 PGA Tour professionals competing together in a unique, jointly sanctioned tournament.
The three-day tournament offers three different formats for team play and allows a field of 32 players to compete for equal prize money and clear visibility.
This is the second year in a row that the tournament has appeared on the schedule, having been launched in 2023 as the first joint event between the LPGA Tour and PGA Tour since the JCPenney Classic in 1999.
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