5 Star Pairings To Watch At The PGA/LPGA Tour Mixed Event

Rickie Fowler and Lexi Thompson hit a tee shot

Rickie Fowler and Lexi Thompson are teaming up at the Grant Thornton Invitational

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 25 October 2023

The 16 teams for the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club, a new event co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour, have been confirmed.

The tournament, which has equal prize money of $4m, will see 16 LPGA Tour and 16 PGA Tour players compete in mixed teams of two. From that field of 32 are 11 Major winners, and there are some star pairings to keep an eye on when the action begins on 7 December. Here are five of the best.

Rickie Fowler And Lexi Thompson

Fowler has enjoyed a huge resurgence on the PGA Tour in 2023, including victory in the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and that form persuaded Team USA Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson to hand him a wildcard for the match at Marco Simone.

Things didn’t work out as well for Fowler in Italy as he would liked as the US lost and Fowler failed to secure any points, but there’s little doubt he is now generally back to his best after a barren few years.

Rickie Fowler at the ZOZO Championship in Japan — Rickie Fowler will team up with Lexi Thompson

He teams up with the 11-time LPGA Tour winner at a point where she too appears to be returning to form after a frustrating year so far. The 28-year-old has finished in the top 10 of her last two LPGA Tour events, while she also performed creditably on her PGA Tour debut in the Shriners Children’s Classic earlier in the month.

Tony Finau And Nelly Korda

Finau’s last outing finished with a T17 at the Tour Championship following a year he can look back on with some satisfaction so far, including holding off the challenge of Jon Rahm to claim his sixth PGA Tour win in the Mexico Open.

Nelly Korda at the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea — Nelly Korda is one of the best players on the LPGA Tour

The American’s Grant Thornton Invitational teammate has spent a spell as World No.1 so far this year, even if her form hasn’t always been up to its usual stellar standards. Korda, who is currently ranked sixth in the world, won July’s Aramco Team Series London event, and she will hoping to produce more of that form in Florida.

Justin Rose And Charley Hull

Rose showed all his experience to help guide Luke Donald’s Team Europe to Ryder Cup victory, and in another team setting, he is likely to shine alongside one of the LPGA Tour’s best performers this year.

Justin Rose during the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone — Justin Rose was one of Team Europe's star performers during the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone

Indeed, Hull, who also experienced team success with the Europeans in the Solheim Cup, can count herself unlucky to have missed out on a maiden Major title after runner-up finishes in both the US Women’s Open and AIG Women’s Open.

Between her and Rose, who also won February’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am, they are expected to forge a formidable partnership.

Jason Day And Lydia Ko

Australian Day has shown glimpses of the form that once took him to the top of the world rankings, including a T2 at The Open at Royal Liverpool and victory in the AT&T Byron Nelson.

Lydia Ko at the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea — Lydia Ko returned to form at the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea

It’s not been quite as productive a year for New Zealander Ko, who has struggled for form throughout much of 2023. However, she topped the world rankings as recently as April and showed signs of returning to her best with third at last week’s BMW Ladies Championship.

Ludvig Aberg And Madelene Sagstrom

If Justin Rose’s vast experience benefitted the Europeans at the Ryder Cup, for Ludvig Aberg, it was raw talent that helped him secure a valuable two points for the team. The Swede also has a DP World Tour title to his name with victory at the Omega European Masters, and he will surely work well alongside his experienced compatriot.

Ludvig Aberg at the Shriners Children's Open — Ludvig Aberg teams up with fellow Swede Madelene Sagstrom

Sagstrom enjoyed success as part of the European Solheim Cup team at Finca Cortesin, winning 1.5 points along the way. Can the pair combine to make it a Swedish success at the tournament?

Confirmed Teams For The Grant Thornton Invitational

Ludvig Aberg/Madelene Sagstrom
Cameron Champ/Allisen Corpuz
Corey Conners/Brooke Henderson
Joel Dahmen/Lilia Vu
Jason Day/Lydia Ko
Harris English/Celine Boutier
Tony Finay/Nelly Korda
Rickie Fowler/Lexi Thompson
Lucas Glover/Leona Maguire
Russell Henley/Mel Reid
Tom Hoge/Cheyenne Knight
Billy Horschel/Andrea Lee
Denny McCarthy/Megan Khang
Justin Rose/Charley Hull
Nick Taylor/Ruoning Yin
Sahith Theegala/Rose Zhang

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Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.