World No.1 Lilia Vu To Play Alongside Netflix Full Swing Star In New Mixed Team Event
The LPGA Tour player will team up with PGA Tour pro Joel Dahmen in December’s Grant Thornton Invitational
World No.1 Lilia Vu will partner with Netflix docuseries Full Swing star Joel Dahmen in the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour’s new mixed team event, the Grant Thornton Invitational.
The co-sanctioned tournament, which has equal prize money of $4m, will see 16 LPGA Tour and 16 PGA Tour players compete. Vu and Dahmen join four other teams already confirmed for the tournament - Rickie Fowler and Lexi Thompson, Nelly Korda and Tony Finau, Sahith Theegala and Rose Zhang and Canadian golfers Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson.
Vu has had an outstanding breakout year. She claimed her maiden title on the LPGA Tour in February’s Honda LPGA Thailand. However, if that was impressive, it was nothing compared to what was to come for her.
Two months later, she claimed the first Major of the year in the Chevron Championship after beating Angel Yin in a playoff, and she bookended that by securing the last of the year’s Major titles with a six-shot win over runner-up Charley Hull in the AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath.
Netflix star Joel Dahmen and two-time Major Champion Lilia Vu are teaming up for the Grant Thornton Invitational! pic.twitter.com/9ZwRlGA8XJOctober 18, 2023
Dahmen has had a high-profile year, too, but not so much for his on-course achievements. He was one of the most popular stars of Full Swing thanks to the episode Imposter Syndrome, which offered a glimpse into his down-to-earth lifestyle and self-deprecating humour.
On the course, things haven’t gone as well for the American, with 11 missed cuts in 2023. However, a T7 at last week’s Shriners Children’s Open offered a reminder that, on his day, the 2021 Corales Puntacana Champion is a force to be reckoned with.
Vu admitted she was looking forward to linking up with Dahmen. She said: “I think I’m too excited. After watching Full Swing, I became a huge fan. I find [Joel] very relatable and funny, and I think Cole [Pesanti, her caddie] and I kind of have the same relationship that him and Geno [Bonnalie, Dahmen’s caddie] have.
Get the top Black Friday deals right in your inbox: Sign up now!
The hottest deals and product recommendations during deals season straight to your inbox plus all the best game-changing tips, in-depth features and the latest news and insights around the game.
“I think we're gonna have a lot of fun. I know Geno and Cole know each other so that's gonna be fun. I feel like I'm gonna get starstruck though. I'm gonna ask him to sign my hat. I hope I play well. I don't want to let him down.”
The Grant Thornton Invitational will be played between 8 and 10 December at Tiburon Golf Club in Florida.
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.
-
DP World Tour Rookie Hit With Slow Play Penalty On First Pro Start
Jacob Skov Olesen was handed a one-shot penalty for slow play at the Australian PGA Championship in what was his very first start as a professional
By Paul Higham Published
-
Nelly Korda Claims LPGA Awards Double After Seven-Win Season
Nelly Korda was handed the two top prizes at the LPGA Awards after a seven-win season including her second Major
By Paul Higham Published
-
Nelly Korda Claims LPGA Awards Double After Seven-Win Season
Nelly Korda was handed the two top prizes at the LPGA Awards after a seven-win season including her second Major
By Paul Higham Published
-
LPGA Tour Announces 2025 Schedule
The 2025 LPGA Tour season will have two new events including a visit to Mexico, while the biennial International Crown returns
By Mike Hall Published
-
Anyone From Nelly Korda To 60th-Place Carlota Ciganda Can Win The Biggest Check In Women's Golf History This Week - Here's Why
The LPGA Tour season culminates in the CME Globe Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club this week - and an $11 million total prize purse is on the line
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Lexi Thompson Says She ‘May Tee It Up A Few Times Next Year’ As She Prepares To Retire From Full-Time Professional Golf
The American has revealed she might play a limited schedule next year as she prepares for life beyond a full-time professional schedule
By Mike Hall Published
-
'I Just Think It Really Drags The Game Down' - LPGA Tour Stars Weigh In On Slow Play Debate
Nelly Korda is one of the players who has given her thoughts on the issue of slow play on the LPGA Tour after Charley Hull suggested a brutal idea to kill the issue
By Mike Hall Published
-
CME Group Tour Championship Prize Money Payout 2024
Nelly Korda heads the field as players compete for one of the largest purses in the history of the women’s game
By Mike Hall Published
-
Women’s NCAA Division I Champion Adela Cernousek Turns Pro
Texas A&M's Adela Cernousek has announced she is turning professional, with a place in the final stage of LPGA Tour Q-Series on the horizon
By Mike Hall Published
-
‘I Feel Sorry For The Fans' - Charley Hull Proposes Brutal Idea To 'Kill' Slow Play
After pointing out that her third round at The Annika took close to six hours, the World No.11 suggested an idea which could greatly reduce slow play on tour
By Jonny Leighfield Published