Grant Thornton Invitational: Your Guide to the Unique Format of the Highly Anticipated PGA Tour X LPGA Crossover

While there are definitely beneficial aspects to what feels familiar and simple, change has its own charm. The new Grand Thornton Invitational offers just that. It promises us a welcome change in the world of golf. 

It does two things primarily: mix up the PGA and LPGA Tours, resulting in a one-of-its-kind golf event. Lending their faces to the promotions of the tournament are Nelly Korda and Rickie Fowler, who are sure to play in the event. Will they be playing together as a team?

Details later, but what are the rules?

The first round of the three-round event will be a scramble. Both players from the team will tee off, and the team will choose the ball for the next hit. From that spot, they will both will take shots. Things will continue in this fashion till the hole is done with.  

Round 2 will be a foursome. Players alternate their shot and there is just one ball used. What we mean is that one player will tee off, and the other will take the second strike and this will go on till the ball is holed. One player in the team will get to tee off at the odd-numbered holes, and the other will tee off the even-numbered holes. 

The third and final round is a variant of the usual four-ball format. The traditional four-ball involves all the players of both teams playing their own ball from start to finish. In the end, the player with the lowest score wins the hole on behalf of their team. In the new version, there is one small twist. 

After both the players from each team tee off, the teammates will switch balls ahead of the second hit and will go on playing with the same ball till the hole is done with . 

Also Read: As Nelly Korda and Co Get Ready to Avenge a Crushing Defeat, Team US Leader Divulges the Ultimate Master Plan to Rival European ‘Momentum’

Now that we have covered the most exciting part of the tournament, that’s the format, let’s move on to other relevant information about the event.

What more should we know about the Grand Thornton Invitational?

The event will happen in the early first half of December and will include 32 players. There will be 16 from the PGA Tour and 16 from the LPGA Tour. Since the number is limited, it is likely that we will see the more popular stars in the mix. 

The event will have three rounds overall. The first round is on a Friday, December 8, followed by the next rounds on the weekend days ending on the 10th. The Tiburón Golf Club & The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón will host the $4 million event. The official website of the tournament has announced nine hours of live coverage on Golf Channel and NBC. 

Besides all this, the website also claims that the tournament will support “a variety of charities including CureSearch for Children’s Cancer”.

The collaboration of the two tours (the PGA and the LPGA) is a reason for excitement. On top of it, this will be team play, and the rules of the rounds sound absolutely fun. We are for sure excited about this event. How about you? Let us know in the comments section below.

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