For the second year in a row, a Canadian duo is looking to capture some year-end glory at the Grant Thornton Invitational.
Corey Conners and Golf Town Athlete Brooke Henderson are returning to Tiburon Golf Club for this year’s edition of the PGA Tour-LPGA Tour team event.
The Canadian pair finished second last year, just one shot back of eventual champions Lydia Ko and Jason Day.
“I was really comfortable around her, and she’s pretty easy to get along with,” Corey said last year. “We just had a great time and played some great golf at certain points throughout the week, and it was a lot of fun. Definitely a memorable week for me, and really look forward to hopefully doing it again.”
“It was kind of nice to have that team aspect and partnership where you kind of bounce ideas back and forth off each other, which was pretty cool. Just a really fun week, great week,” added Brooke. “I was really looking forward to it coming in, and it lived up to the expectations.”
Last year marked the first time since 1999 that the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour co-sanctioned a tournament. The men and women played for an equal purse.
The teams will once again play three distinct formats. The first round is a scramble, the second is alternate shot, while the third is a new modified format where both players will hit their drives and then they will switch balls for their second shots and until holed.
The event will be played at a golf course Brooke is awfully familiar with, with Tiburon the long-time host of the CME Group Tour Championship – the LPGA Tour’s season finale. Brooke finished tied for 8th at that event just a few weeks ago.
Day and Ko – on the back of her three-win season (plus gold medal in Paris, plus locking up her spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame in the process) – return to defend their title.
They finished at 26-under while the Canadians finished at 25-under. Swedes Ludvig Aberg and Madelene Sagstrom finished at 24-under and finished third after an incredible final-round 12-under 60 – the round of the day by three shots.
Other notable teams for 2024 include Tom Kim and Jeeno Thitikul – who just won the LPGA Tour’s season-ending championship at Tiburon (and the US$4 million first-place prize that went along with that title) – and Tony Finau with Nelly Korda, who won the LPGA Tour’s Player of the Year honour after an incredible seven victories.
“The Grant Thornton Invitational is truly one of one, and getting to drive the game forward alongside such a great player and person in Tony Finau is something I’m really looking forward to doing again this year in Naples,” Korda said. They finished tied for fourth in 2023.
Another fun country-connection team is Celine Boutier and Matthieu Pavon from France, while Rickie Fowler is set to once again peg it alongside Lexi Thompson (they finished tied for sixth last year) as Thompson looks to end her final season as a full-time competitor on the LPGA Tour.
“We are thrilled with the collection of world-class players heading to southwest Florida this December. Interest from both tours continues to be strong, and we are incredibly pleased with the 16 mixed teams we’ve assembled,” said Rob Hartman, Grant Thornton Invitational tournament director.
The Grant Thornton Invitational runs Dec. 13-15. Go Canada Go!