LPGA Stars Headline Grant Thornton Invitational, But PGA Field Lacks Star Power

The Grant Thornton Invitational, a mixed-gender event co-hosted by the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour, begins Thursday at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, but the tournament is struggling to capture Korean golf fans' attention due to the absence of South Korean players.

The three-day event features 16 players each from the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour competing in male-female pairs. While the format offers an intriguing spectacle, no South Korean players are in the field this year. Only three players of Korean descent are participating: New Zealand's Lydia Ko, and Americans Andrea Lee and Michael Kim.

The tournament drew significant interest last year when Kim Joo-hyung paired with Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand to finish as runners-up.

The disparity in star power between the two tours is notable. Nine LPGA players ranked in the world's top 25 are competing, while no PGA Tour player in that range is in the field.

The LPGA contingent includes world No. 2 Nelly Korda, No. 5 Charley Hull of England, No. 6 Lydia Ko, No. 11 Lottie Woad of England, No. 13 Angel Yin, No. 15 Maja Stark of Sweden, No. 20 Lauren Coughlin, No. 21 Andrea Lee, and No. 25 Brooke Henderson of Canada. The highest-ranked PGA Tour player in the field is Chris Gotterup at world No. 28.

The tournament features three different formats across its three days. Day one uses a scramble format where both players hit tee shots, then select one ball and alternate shots from that spot. Day two features foursomes, where partners alternate hitting the same ball. The final day uses a modified four-ball format where players hit their own tee shots, then switch balls for all subsequent shots.

Lydia Ko and Jason Day of Australia won the inaugural event in 2023, while Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand and Jake Knapp claimed victory last year. Both winning pairs return this year seeking back-to-back titles.

Nelly Korda is paired with Denny McCarthy, while Andrea Lee teams with Billy Horschel. Michael Kim will compete alongside American rising star Rose Zhang.

The PGA Tour's power rankings place the all-Canadian duo of Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners at No. 1. The pair finished second in 2023 and tied for fourth last year. Nelly Korda's team ranks second, followed by Lydia Ko's pairing at third and Tavatanakit's team at fourth.