Grant Thornton Invitational Tips: Californians dreaming of team glory
It's time for some pre-Christmas action in the States as the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour combine for three days in Florida in the third running of the Grant Thornton Invitational.
The mixed event, featuring 16 teams of two players, one from the men's tour, one the women's, always attracts decent crowds to Tiburon Golf Club in Naples.
The format comprises one round of scramble, one round of foursomes and a final round of a modified fourball and while it may be fun, be sure it is also fiercely competitive.
Defending champions Jake Knapp and Patty Tavatanakit are back to defend their title.
But there will be some strong pairings on their tail, including 2023 winners Lydia Ko and Jason Day, classy Canadian duo Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners, while Nelly Korda is teeing it up alongside Denny McCarthy.
Charley Hull had been set to partner Daniel Berger, but the American four-time Tour winner's late withdrawal means Michael Brennan teams up with the English ace.
Tip 1 – Rose Zhang & Michael Kim to win @ 16/1
There are plenty of eye-catching pairings among the 16-team field and it's all about the chemistry between the players, especially having to deal with three different formats.
To that end, and given we are only in the third running of this event, there seems no sense worrying overly about form and focusing instead on prices.
Way down the outright list, for example, are Michael Kim and Rose Zhang, playing together for the first time in this event. Indeed, it's Kim's first appearance while Zhang finished T9 alongside Sahith Theegala back in 2023.
There's plenty to like about the pairing, not least the fact that they both attended university in California, with Zhang at Stanford and Kim at great rivals Berkeley, and it's something they've both joked about on social media.
Kim has clearly played well in 2025, producing top-six finishes earlier in the year at the Phoenix Open, Cognizant and Arnold Palmer before leaving the States after a T10 at the BMW for Europe where he duly won the French Open.
Zhang has had a modest year but played only 14 counting events on the LPGA Tour with two top-10s.
As I say, it's up to you how important the form figures look; this looks like a pair with plenty in common who are going to gel well and give it a run at a decent price.
Tip 2 – Luke Clanton & Lottie Woad each-way @ 14/1
Another pairing that looks to be built on good chemistry is Luke Clanton and Lottie Woad.
The Florida State alumni were amateur friends and rivals during their very recent college days, as both jostled for No.1 status in their respective fields at the same time.
Now graduated and both on the big tours, they arrive at Tiburon with guaranteed home-crowd support.
They are by some distance the youngest pairing in the event - Clanton is 22, Woad 21 - but that's no reason to oppose them.
After all, England's Woad won on her first start on the LPGA after turning professional in the summer and Clanton is a much-hyped youngster who could well have a big year in '26.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation
