PGA And LPGA Tours Unveil New Mixed Team Event To Replace Greg Norman-Founded Tournament
The new Grant Thornton Invitational will feature 16 PGA Tour players and 16 LPGA Tour players competing for equal prize money
The PGA and LPGA Tours have unveiled a new co-sanctioned team event to take place in December to replace the QBE Shootout.
The QBE Shootout was originally the Shark Shootout, founded by LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, so it's no surprise to see the PGA Tour looking to replace it. Its new guise will be the 32-person Grant Thornton Invitational, which will feature 16 teams made up of PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players.
The purse for the mixed event will be $4m and it will take place over 54 holes at Tiburón Golf Club and The Ritz-Carlton Naples.
The last time the PGA and LPGA Tours combined for an annual mixed-team competition was in 1999, when John Daly and Laura Davies won the final edition of the JCPenney Classic.
It seems that both Tony Finau and Nelly Korda, who are Grant Thornton ambassadors, will be playing in the event with the other 30 players yet to be announced.
Other Grant Thornton ambassadors who will most likely play include Rickie Fowler, Jessica Korda, Mel Reid and Cameron Champ.
Korda and Lexi Thompson played in the most recent QBE Shootout, which was won by Tom Hoge and Sahith Theegala. The event had run since 1989. Norman was controversially not invited to QBE Shootout last year after his involvement with LIV Golf.
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"Sadly, after 33 consecutive years of playing in and hosting every Shootout tournament—a co-sanctioned PGA Tour event—since I founded it in 1989, this year I have been asked not to attend,” Norman wrote in an Instagram post.
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“PGA Tour athletes playing alongside the best athletes from the LPGA Tour is going to be incredible for our fans,” Tony Finau said. “They’ve been wanting something like this for a long time. Our fans deserve it, and seeing Grant Thornton stepping up to help the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour put together this tournament, I think is very special.”
“The Grant Thornton Invitational really is about being inclusive and showing people that golf can be accessible for everyone, no matter what way you play,” Nelly Korda said. “This is going to be the perfect opportunity for me to do something important in helping to grow the game and inspire the next generation.”
Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!
Elliott is currently playing:
Driver: Titleist TSR4
3 wood: Titleist TSi2
Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1
Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5
Ball: Srixon Z Star XV
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