Favorites Nelly Korda and Tony Finau Anticipate A Unique ‘Challenge” That Can Ruin Their Momentum

Nelly Korda and Tony Finau both admit that the modified fourball format will be a challenge. The Duo is set to appear at the Grant Thornton Invitational on December 8. The mixed-gender event will have a team-play format consisting of one LPGA pro and a PGA Tour Pro. The first two rounds will be in scramble and foursomes (alternate shot), the third and final being four balls with an interesting twist.

You might be familiar with the conventional four balls in the Solheim Cup and the Ryder Cup. But at Tiburon Golf Club, after individual tee-offs, both players have to swap balls for their second shot and play with that ball until it’s holed. Notably, this is only for Grant Thornton Invitational and, naturally, attracted a lot of eyeballs. Finau and Nelly Korda shared their thoughts and strategies to counter the unique challenge. 

Another golf ball challenge for the duo?

Tony Finau plays with a Titleist Pro V1, a lightweight ball for a longer flight. Whereas, Nelly Korda plays with TaylorMade TP5 which offers optimal spin. Naturally, they might face some problems adapting their swing to the spin of their partner’s ball. Nelly Korda admits: “I think for him it’s going to be mainly driver it spins a little bit more, and for him, it would be his ball spins less, so for me, it would be long irons.”

The eight-time LPGA Tour winner believes they have to adapt to the situations. “If I’m going to be coming in with a low-spinning ball with a 5-iron, I know he’s going to be chipping long.” Sitting beside her in the press conference, Tony Finau had similar thoughts. “There will definitely be some adjusting.”

But it’s not something unique for the duo. Everyone in the tournament will come up with some tactics. Finau added, “We’re not going to be the only ones with this type of challenge. Everybody is going to have to deal with something like that.”

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Tony Finau and Nelly Korda are vibing strong

Grant Thornton is a team game. So, the sixteen teams should have a name, right? We don’t about others, but Korda and Finau are calling it Team FiNelly. In the press conference, they were asked if they had decided on a name for their team. Finau responded, “team name is Team FiNelly.” Touche!

In last year’s QBE Shootout, Max Homa and his partner, Kevin Kisner, were awestruck by Korda’s prowess. The latter even dubbed her as the Tiger Woods of LPGA Tour. Finau, too, finds his partner is “certified Finau fresh.” Adding further, the six-time PGA Tour winner said, “Everything that I thought about her game, it was even better up close.” They are vibing and fans surely hope to see the same energy from the duo on the greens.

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