Tournament officials today announced the 16 teams that will compete in the Grant Thornton Invitational, set to return December 11-13, 2026, at the Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Florida.
Tournament news
December 7 – 13, 2026
Tiburón Golf Club & The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón
Final teams announced for Grant Thornton Invitational
32-player field features 25 of the top 60 in the world from the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour
NAPLES, Fla. (October 20, 2026) – Tournament officials today announced the 16 teams that will compete in the Grant Thornton Invitational, set to return December 11-13, 2026, at the Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Florida.
The 16 mixed teams for the fourth annual event include:
- Lauren Coughlin and Andrew Novak
- Patty Tavatanakit and Jake Knapp
- Lydia Ko and Jason Day
- Lilia Vu and Michael Kim
- Nelly Korda and Michael Brennan
- Gaby Lopez and Bud Cauley
- Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners
- Lottie Woad and Alex Fitzpatrick
- Haeran Ryu and Tom Kim
- Kiara Romero and Jackson Koivun
- Lexi Thompson and Harris English
- Jennifer Kupcho and Chris Gotterup
- Alison Lee and Kurt Kitayama
- Esther Henseleit and Jacob Bridgeman
- Ruoning Yin and Akshay Bhatia
- Yealimi Noh and Ryan Gerard
This year’s field has a combined 145 LPGA Tour and PGA Tour career victories with 22 of those wins coming in 2026. There are nine major champions in the field including this year’s U.S. Women’s Open and Chevron Championship winner, Nelly Korda, and the Women’s PGA and Evian Championship winner, Haeran Ryu. A total of 10 different countries will be represented, and all three past championship teams are returning to Naples. There are also 11 new teams competing with 11 first-time Grant Thornton Invitational competitors.
“We are incredibly pleased with the 16 teams we’ve assembled for this year. Interest from both tours continues to be extremely strong and we are beyond excited about the mix of young rising stars and established veterans who are heading to Tiburón Golf Club this December,” said Rob Hartman, Grant Thornton Invitational Tournament Director.
The tournament’s 32-player field, which is evenly comprised of LPGA Tour and PGA Tour professionals playing on 16 mixed teams, will compete for an equal purse of $4.1 million, while also experiencing equal visibility and a different format of play each day. The unique and exciting approach during the three-day professional competition will include Scramble, Foursomes and a Modified Four-Ball format. More information on the formats can be found here: Grant Thornton Invitational golf tournament unveils three distinct formats for mixed-team play.
Information on the 16 mixed teams competing can be found below:
WWGR = Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings; OWGR = Official World Golf Ranking
Lauren Coughlin (WWGR: 19) and Andrew Novak (OWGR: 88)
Last year, this team compiled a tournament-record 28-under-par score to win by three strokes, also a tournament record. The pair recorded 27 birdies in three rounds which is the second most in tournament history. Coughlin is making her third consecutive start in the tournament. This is the second start for Novak. Coughlin, 34, has three LPGA Tour wins, including one this year. Novak, 31, captured his first PGA Tour victory last year in New Orleans at a team event with PGA Tour partner, Ben Griffin.
Patty Tavatanakit (WWGR: 29) and Jake Knapp (OWGR: 51)
The 2024 Grant Thornton Invitational champions, this pair holds a total of three career wins on their respective tours. Tavatanakit, 27, from Thailand, has two wins on the LPGA Tour and was the 2021 Rookie of the Year. Knapp, 31, has one career PGA Tour title. Combined, they have eight top-10 finishes this season.
Lydia Ko (WWGR: 14) and Jason Day (OWGR: 79):
As the inaugural champions of the Grant Thornton Invitational, these former World No. 1 players have the most individual career titles in the field. Ko, 29, an LPGA Hall of Fame member from New Zealand, has 23 victories along with winning the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Day, 38, from Australia, has won 13 times, including a major: the 2015 PGA Championship.
Lilia Vu (WWGR: 276) and Michael Kim (OWGR: 69)
This is a new team this year. Vu, 29, is making her fourth start here. She is a former World No. 1 player, a five-time winner on the LPGA Tour, with four victories in 2023, including two major championships and was named the Rolex Player of the Year that season. Kim, 33, has three top-10 finishes this season and one career victory on the PGA Tour.
Nelly Korda (WWGR: 1) and Michael Brennan (OWGR: 19)
Korda, 27, has accumulated 19 career victories, including four major titles. As World No. 1, she has won four times this season, including two majors. This is her fourth consecutive appearance in the tournament, with her best result being a T4 in 2023, when she was paired with the PGA Tour’s Tony Finau. Brennan, 24, has won twice this year, including a win just over a week ago in Japan. He has three total victories in his short career and is playing in the Grant Thornton Invitational for the second time.
Gaby Lopez (WWGR: 13) and Bud Cauley (OWGR: 46)
A new team competing in the Grant Thornton Invitational this year, with Lopez making her first start and Cauley his second. Lopez, 32, has three LPGA career victories and has finished in the top 10 three times this season. Cauley, 36, earned his first PGA Tour win this year at the Canadian Open. Cauley was named the 2025 recipient of the Ben Hogan Award after suffering multiple injuries in a 2018 car accident and returning to a golf career.
Brooke Henderson (WWGR: 11) and Corey Conners (OWGR: 61)
The Canadian team returns for the fourth consecutive time. The pair has a tournament-best three top-5 finishes, highlighted by a 2nd place finish in 2023, a T4 in 2024 and a T5 last year. Henderson, 29, has won 14 times on the LPGA Tour, including the Canadian Open last year. Conners, 34, has two career victories on the PGA TOUR, both at the Valero Texas Open.
Lottie Woad (WWGR: 7) and Alex Fitzpatrick (OWGR: 59)
This English team is together for the first time with Woad making her second start and Fitzpatrick his first. The second youngest team in the field, Woad, 22, earned her second LPGA Tour title this year and has nine top-10 finishes in her short career as a pro. She was the top-ranked amateur in the world in 2024. Fitzpatrick, 27, won the Zurich Classic in his first start on the PGA Tour this year with his brother Matt to earn Tour status. On his own, he recorded three more top-10 finishes, including a T4 at The Tour Championship.
Haeran Ryu (WWGR: 3) and Tom Kim (OWGR: 31)
A new team at the Grant Thornton Invitational, both players hail from the Republic of Korea. Ryu, 25, has five LPGA Tour career victories in her fourth year on the Tour, including back-to-back majors this season. Kim, 24, has four PGA Tour career victories including the Scottish Open earlier this year. He also won the Gold Medal at the Asian Games this month and has played for the International team in three consecutive Presidents Cups.
Kiara Romero (WWGR: 187) and Jackson Koivun (OWGR: 57)
The youngest team in the competition and first-time competitors. Romero, 20, became eligible to compete on the LPGA Tour in August and became only the fourth player to earn multiple awards for being the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world in 2025 and 2026. Koivun, 21, edged out Scottie Scheffler to win for the first time on the PGA Tour this year in his rookie season. He also was a member of this year’s U.S. Presidents Cup team and had a winning record, including a singles victory on Sunday to help the U.S. stage a comeback victory.
Lexi Thompson (WWGR: 190) and Harris English (OWGR: 45)
This duo will be paired for the first time. Thompson, 31, has played the last three years with PGA Tour players Rickie Fowler (2 times) and Wyndham Clark (last year), while English is playing for the second time after last competing in 2023 with Celine Boutier. Thompson has 11 career victories and has played on seven Solheim Cup teams. English, 37, has five PGA Tour career victories.
Jennifer Kupcho (WWGR: 36) and Chris Gotterup (OWGR: 6)
This team finished 2nd last year when they played for the first time. Kupcho returns for the third year and finished 3rd in 2024 with Akshay Bhatia. Kupcho, 29, won the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2019 and has since recorded four career LPGA Tour victories. Gotterup, 27, enjoyed his best PGA Tour season to date this year with three wins and seven top-10 finishes.
Alison Lee (WWGR: 52) and Kurt Kitayama (OWGR: 42)
Both will be playing in the Grant Thornton Invitational for the first time. Lee, 31, has three top-10 finishes this year on the LPGA Tour. She has won twice on the Ladies European Tour in the past five years. In 2014, she won the inaugural ANNIKA Award as the nation’s top female golfer. Kitayama, 33, has two PGA Tour career victories, including the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Esther Henseleit (WWGR: 24) and Jacob Bridgeman (OWGR: 16)
These two highly ranked players are competing for the first time in the Grant Thornton Invitational. Henseleit, 27, has four top-10 finishes this year. She won the silver medal in the 2024 Olympics and has participated in the last two Solheim Cups for Team Europe. Bridgeman, 26, earned his first two PGA Tour victories this season with his second coming in September at the Biltmore Championship.
Ruoning Yin (WWGR: 5) and Akshay Bhatia (OWGR: 35)
This is a new team competing in the Grant Thornton Invitational. Yin was T7 with Tom Kim in 2024, and Bhatia was 3rd with Jennifer Kupcho in 2024. Yin, 24, has seven career victories in her four years on the LPGA Tour, including two this year. Bhatia, 24, has three PGA Tour victories and also won this season. Combined, they have 11 top-10 finishes this year.
Yealimi Noh (WWGR: 43) and Ryan Gerard (OWGR: 23)
Both will be participating in the Grant Thornton Invitational for the first time. Noh, 25, picked up her one LPGA Tour victory last season. She was also a member of the U.S. team at this year’s Solheim Cup. Gerard, 27, has one career victory and finished 3rd at this year’s Tour Championship.
When and how to enjoy the tournament
The Grant Thornton Invitational takes place from Friday, Dec.11, through Sunday, Dec. 13, at Tiburón Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Florida.
The Golf Channel will broadcast Friday’s first round competition live from 1-4 p.m. ET. Saturday’s coverage will begin from 2-3 p.m. ET on Golf Channel, then switch to NBC from 3-5 p.m. ET. The final round coverage will air Sunday on Golf Channel from 1-2 p.m. ET and then switch to NBC from 2-4 p.m. ET.
Following Saturday’s round, Live Fest presented by First Horizon Bank will once again be held on the Tiburón Driving Range from 5-10 p.m. ET. This year’s lineup features Riley Green, Tyler Hubbard, Hannah McFarland and Rock Republic.
For Grant Thornton Invitational tickets and additional information, visit the official tournament website: grantthorntoninvitational.com.
About the Grant Thornton Invitational
The fourth annual Grant Thornton Invitational will be played in Naples, Florida on Dec. 11-13, 2026, at Tiburón Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón. The invitational is a mixed-team Challenge Season event that will see 16 LPGA Tour and 16 PGA Tour professionals compete together in a unique co-sanctioned tournament. The three-day tournament will be televised on NBC and Golf Channel and allows the 32-player field to compete for an equal prize and visibility — a format entering its fourth year in professional golf.
The Grant Thornton Invitational supports a variety of worthy charities, including CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, Warrior Homes of Collier County, Golisano Children’s Hospital, among others.
About PGA Tour
The PGA Tour’s mission is to deliver the world’s most compelling professional golf competition, featuring the sport’s greatest players, for fans, partners and communities. The PGA Tour, headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, operates the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions, Korn Ferry Tour, PGA Tour Americas and PGA Tour University. To date, events across all Tours have generated more than $4.4 billion in charitable giving.
About the LPGA
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is the world’s premier women’s professional golf organization. Created in 1950 by 13 pioneering female Founders, the LPGA, whose Members now represent nearly 40 countries, is the longest- standing professional women’s sports organization. Through the LPGA Tour, the Epson Tour, the LPGA Professionals, and a joint venture with the Ladies European Tour, the LPGA provides female professionals the opportunity to pursue their dreams in the game of golf at the highest level. In addition to its professional tours and teaching accreditation programs, the LPGA features a fully integrated Foundation, which provides best-in-class programming for female golfers through its junior golf programming, and its LPGA Amateurs division, which offers its members playing and learning opportunities around the world. The LPGA aims to use its unique platform to inspire, transform and advance opportunities for girls and women, on and off the golf course.
Follow the LPGA online at www.LPGA.com and download its mobile apps on Apple or Google Play. Join the social conversation on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram and YouTube.
About the LPGA Tour
The LPGA Tour is the world’s leading competitive destination for the best female professional golfers in the world. The Tour hosts 33 annual events across 13 countries for over 200 athletes, awarding total prize funds exceeding $132 million and reaching television audiences in more than 150 countries and territories. Follow the LPGA Tour on its U.S. television home, Golf Channel.
About Grant Thornton in the U.S.
Grant Thornton delivers professional services in the U.S. through two specialized entities and their affiliates: Grant Thornton LLP, a licensed, certified public accounting (CPA) firm that provides audit and assurance services — and Grant Thornton Advisors LLC (not a licensed CPA firm), which exclusively provides non-attest offerings, including tax and advisory services.
Grant Thornton LLP, Grant Thornton Advisors LLC and their respective subsidiaries operate as an alternative practice structure (APS). The APS conforms with applicable laws, regulations and professional standards, including those from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
“Grant Thornton” refers to the brand under which the member firms in the Grant Thornton International Limited (GTIL) network provide services to their clients and/or refers to one or more member firms. Grant Thornton LLP and Grant Thornton Advisors LLC serve as the U.S. member firms of the GTIL network. GTIL and its member firms are not a worldwide partnership and all member firms are separate legal entities. Member firms deliver all services; GTIL does not provide services to clients.
About the Grant Thornton Advisors multinational platform
The Grant Thornton Advisors multinational platform is a group of firms within the Grant Thornton International Limited network* that connects priority markets and operates with aligned standards, technology and delivery expectations.
The platform is currently home to 20 aligned firms stretching from the Americas across Europe and the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific region. These firms bring together tens of thousands of professionals to deliver cross-border solutions powered by advanced technologies, a shared commitment to quality and a growing reputation as an employer of choice in the industry. The platform firms operate as separate legal entities.
*The Grant Thornton International Limited network provides access to its member firms in more than 150 global markets.
Media Contacts
Lee Patterson
Grant Thornton Invitational, Media Director
704.553.4790
lee@grantthorntoninvitational.com
Adam Bond
Grant Thornton
312.602.8332
Adam.Bond@us.gt.com
