A pair of teams with high-profile LPGA stars took down the scoring record at the Grant Thornton Invitational, as Lexi Thompson and Wyndham Clark, as well as Englishwoman Charley Hull and Michael Brennan, posted a 17-under-par 55 on Friday in Naples, Fla.
The three-day team event at Tiburon Golf Club begins with a scramble format, and the two leading duos weren’t the only ones to take full advantage.
Lauren Coughlin and Andrew Novak are just two strokes back after a 15-under 57. Three more pairs shot 14-under 58: Nelly Korda and Denny McCarthy, Jennifer Kupcho and Chris Gotterup and Rose Zhang and Michael Kim.
Hull and Brennan combined for eagles on the par-5 sixth and 14th holes. Thompson and Clark also eagled No. 6 and carded their second at the par-4 10th when Clark smashed his tee shot to just off the green and Thompson holed the putt.
“I feel like we kind of have similar games to be honest,” Clark said. “She hits it really far off the tee, and if one of us is in play, we’re significantly past kind of the competitors, and we have our advantage there. She’s a great putter. Yeah, I mean, really I felt like our games complement each other perfectly, and I didn’t think there was any flaws in her game.”
“Grant Thornton does great things for this event,” Thompson added. “To bring the PGA Tour and LPGA together, it’s kind of what we want to end our year on, a nice, more relaxed tournament.”
Hull was tinkering with her swing just before coming to the tournament to play with PGA Tour newcomer Brennan.
“It’s quite funny because, actually, I was changing my swing last week, and I come on Tuesday and I could not even keep the ball on the planet,” Hull said. “So I was actually pretty nervous today. Actually, it worked out pretty well.”
Coughlin and Novak made nine birdies in a row at Nos. 6-14 — not bad for a tandem that just met for the first time this week.
“I do like team golf,” said Novak, who paired with Ben Griffin to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April. “I think it’s just a little bit different aspect to it. I’ve been lucky to have two good partners this year, and the vibes have been good during the tournament. We’re just out there having a lot of fun, making birdies and not taking it too seriously, just doing our job.”
Kupcho and Gotterup birdied the first 10 holes of their round, while Korda and McCarthy posted eagles at the par-5 first and 17th holes.
The format won’t be this straightforward the rest of the way. The teams will play foursomes (alternate shot) on Saturday and a modified fourball (best ball) Sunday.
This is the third year of the event. Defending champions Jake Knapp and Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit are in seventh at 13-under 59. Inaugural champs Jason Day of Australia and Lydia Ko of New Zealand are one behind them in a tie for eighth.
–Field Level Media
