What Are the 3 Major Takeaways From the 2023 Grant Thornton Invitational?

After the ending of the official season in their respective league, the LPGA and PGA Tour pros came together to give people a combination of the Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup for the first time in decades. The Grant Thornton event, co-sanctioned by the men’s and women’s leagues, was held on the southwest coast of Florida at Tiburon Golf Course.

The event had many remarkable things going for it even before the commencement. And as it concluded with Lydia Ko and Jason Day winning, it left us with three major occurrences through its three-day commemoration.

The inauguration of mixed team event after 1999

1. Rewriting the Tours’ history: There were a lot of firsts in 2023. The invitational was held first time in 24 years after the JC Penney Classic in 1999. The LPGA Tour and the PGA Tour had co-sanctioned events in the history of Tours, as 16 players from each side were paired with each other.

Moreover, this was the first year for the Invitational as the part of PGA Tour Challenge season, which displays nonofficial events like the Hero World Challenge and PNC Championship. The last mixed event was won by John Daly and Laura Davies. This time the event was won by former world no.1’s Lydia Ko and Jason Day as they shot six under 66 and bagged $1 million as the winners cut.

2. Lexi Thompson’s ace, Ludvig Aberg, and Madelene Sagstrom hit the lowest round: In the 2nd round of Foursomes, Lexi Thompson playing alongside Rickie Fowler, needed a shot to advance them to a better position on the leaderboard. Thompson made that shot at Par-3 16th and putted her career’s 11th ace from 155 yards.

Another highlight of the Invitational was Ludvig Aberg and Madelene Sagstrom’s lowest round on the final day. The pair started their first day with 12 under 60 and then had even round 2. However; they made a strong comeback on the final day and scored the lowest score of the 3rd round.

They carded the 12 under 60 while making 6 birdies and an eagle on the back nine. The Swedish duo propelled 6 positions up and finished the event with solo third with $330,000 as their reward and 2 strokes away from winning.

3. Lydia Ko beats her career slump: The 2023 season started with hope for the South Korean veteran. However, as it progressed, Ko’s performance saw a downward trend. The golfer was sitting at the top of the Rolex World Ranking, but could not maintain it for long as she failed to win any events.

Read More: ‘Australian and New Zealand Rivalry’: Lydia Ko Comments on the Uncanny Liaison That Ended a Forgetful Season

Now 11th in the world, Ko finally ended her winless drought of the 2023 LPGA season. Ko, playing with Jason Day, came from the back and took the lead away from Nelly Korda and Tony Finau in round two. The duo carded a 26 under 190 with a bogey-free final round.

Although the event was unofficial, Ko would be heading in the next year with much confidence and motivation to get her No.1 rank back. The 2024 season of the LPGA tour will start in January in Orlando.

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