PGA Tour, LPGA Tour partner for new mixed team event
Diversity
Nelly Korda and Denny McCarthy play golf

PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players will compete together for $4 million on global network television in December.

The Grant Thornton Invitational, a new co-sanctioned tournament with a mixed-team format and equal prize money, was announced this week.

The 32-player field will comprise 16 PGA Tour and 16 LPGA Tour professionals playing over three days and be televised on NBC, Golf Channel, and via international broadcast partners.

It will take place at Tiburón Golf Club and The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Florida from December 4-10, 2023.

LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan, said: “By joining forces with the PGA Tour to host a mixed event where the top male and female golfers in the world compete alongside each other, we’re going to deliver a memorable and entertaining experience for all golf fans, showcasing our players’ incredible skills in a new context to a new audience.

This is an important step forward for golf, women’s golf and the LPGA.”

The Grant Thornton Invitational replaces the QBE Shootout and is the first mixed-team competition to be hosted by the PGA Tour since 1999, when John Daly and Laura Davies won the final edition of the JCPenney Classic.

Its scheduling builds on progress made by other ground-breaking mixed-gender tournaments such as the Scandinavian Mixed on the DP World Tour and the ISPS Handa Australian Open in Melbourne.

Swede Linn Grant became the first female winner on The DP World Tour when she won the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed 2022 at Halmstad Golf Club, Sweden, by nine shots over tournament co-host Henrik Stenson.

Previous reporting by Syngenta has focused on the increased interest among sports fans when men’s and women’s events are staged together.

Nielsen’s study ‘The Rise of Women’s Sport’ proved the appeal of parallel and combined events in attracting larger audiences for women’s sport and identified key factors which influenced more women to take up the game.

“As we look to capitalize on the growing interest in the game of golf, the addition of a mixed event to the calendar has been a priority, and we greatly appreciate title sponsor Grant Thornton for their support in delivering an event that will make our sport more appealing and welcoming to all,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.

A number of high-profile names have confirmed their participation in the event including Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler and sisters Jessica and Nelly Korda.