Despite an Unexpected Grant Thornton Invitational Fall, ‘Beast’ Nelly Korda Still Manages to Get a Crownless Win

The weekend turned out exciting as the Grant Thornton Invitational reached its climax. But, only a single team could come out on top defeating the many squads including the likes of Nelly Korda and her partner. However, it seems as if all hope was not lost for the LPGA Tour pro despite falling short at the mixed-team event.

The athlete could not clinch the victory at the inaugural edition of the tournament. Nevertheless, despite her team’s inability to come out on top of the leaderboard, the woman golfer was able to manage a win regardless, courtesy of her teammate, Tony Finau!

Nelly Korda and her winless victory

The tournament co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour and the PGA Tour saw a stellar finish as Jason Day and Lydia Ko emerged victorious. However, the Korda-Finau troop fell short and could only finish T4 at 23-under 193 over the three days, taking home a total of $232,500 from the prize purse. But the male golfer seems to have a different opinion regarding the same.

A post was uploaded by the 34-year-old on his Instagram handle recounting his experience at the special competition. Moreover, the PGA Tour pro shared some snippets of team FiNelly duking it out on the course against other teams, being “too fresh all week.” But, the highlight of the post was the caption, mentioning how he “had a blast playing and competing with” the LPGA Covergirl.

Adding on, the 6X PGA Tour champ disclosed how “getting to know her better was a real treat” as he dubbed her an “absolute BEAST!” What’s more, the pro divulged how he is now Korda’s fan, crowning her as a winner regardless of the team’s loss. And, continuing, the American expressed his pride at being able to play at a monumental event while calling attention to the importance of the same to the game of golf “on so many levels.” 

What about the LPGA Pro? Well, the 25-year-old was also all-praise for the Grant Thornton Invitational after the first set of rounds on Friday as she took to an interview post the day’s play.

Korda’s mixed view on mixed events

The 1X major winner was full of acclaim for the mixed-team competition. However, she was also quick to point out how being the one-of-its-kind tournament is what “makes this event so special.” Moreover, the Solheim Cup star also made sure to indicate how successful the tourney was in pushing women’s and men’s golf forward.

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What the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship winner said does make sense. The event would lose its meaning once more such tournaments pop up. Although it can bridge the gap between the two circuits, it does undoubtedly lead to the opposite outcome. A true conundrum, it seems!

Watch This Story | Nelly Korda Makes a Contradictory Yet Heartfelt Remark on Mixed Events Despite Having the ‘Best’ of Her Times