HomeGolfGrant Thornton mixed-gender event reveals full field while PGA...

Grant Thornton mixed-gender event reveals full field while PGA Tour Champions adds team tournament


The three main U.S. tours now all have tournaments for teams.

The latest edition is the American Family Insurance Championship, hosted by Steve Stricker and moving next year to the TPC Wisconsin in Madison, a course Stricker co-designed in the city he lives.

The leading 38 players on the PGA Tour Champions will chose their partner for the 54-hole event that features two days of better ball with a scramble format in the second round. The tournament is June 6-8 and has a $3 million purse, with players on the winning team each getting $300,000.

“With this tournament moving to a new course in 2025, it’s an ideal time to try a new format as well,” Stricker said.

The PGA Tour’s team event is the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, while the LPGA Tour has the Dow Championship in Michigan.

There also is the Grant Thornton Invitational on Dec. 13-15 in Naples, Florida, for LPGA and PGA Tour players.

Lydia Ko and Jason Day return to defend their title at Tiburon Golf Club, and the 16-team field has some depth to it. Nelly Korda, the No. 1 player in women’s golf, returns to play with Tony Finau.

Korda, Ko and Lilia Vu are among five of the top 10 in the women’s world ranking who are playing. The highest-ranked male is Sahith Theegala, currently at No. 13. He will play with 12th-ranked Rose Zhang.

The LPGA has 14 of 16 players from the top 50 in the women’s world ranking (Jennifer Kupcho at No. 53 and Mel Reid at No. 374 are the exceptions). The PGA Tour has 11 players from the top 50. The list includes Billy Horschel (paired with Andrea Lee), and Matthieu Pavon in the all-France partnership with Celine Boutier.

Jake Knapp makes his debut and will play with Patty Tavatanakit, a fellow UCLA alum.