Tavatanakit and Knapp Secure Victory at Mixed PGA/LPGA Tour Event

Patty Tavatanakit and Jake Knapp competed as a team for the first time during this week’s tournament. The final standings of the Grant Thornton Invitational were as follows: Patty Tavatanakit (Thailand) and Jake Knapp (United States) finished at -27; Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand) and Tom Kim (Korea) at -26; Jennifer Kupcho and Akshay Bhatia (United States) at -25; and Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners (Canada) at -24. Other notable finishes included Lydia Ko (New Zealand) and Jason Day (Australia) at -20; Nelly Korda (United States) and Daniel Berger (United States) at -16; Lexi Thompson (United States) and Rickie Fowler (United States) at -13; and Mel Reid (England) and Cameron Champ (United States) at -12. A complete leaderboard was also available. Patty Tavatanakit and Jake Knapp secured their victory at the Grant Thornton Invitational in Naples, Florida, by posting a final round score of 65. On Sunday, the duo achieved a seven-under par round, featuring an eagle and five birdies, concluding the PGA & LPGA Tour mixed event with a total score of 27 under par. The third round introduced a novel team play format known as ‘modified fourball’. Under this rule, both participants initiated play by teeing off, subsequently exchanging balls for their second shots, and continuing with that ball until it was holed. The team’s score was determined by the lower of the two individual scores. Tavatanakit, from Thailand, commented on her partnership with US player Knapp, stating, “I putted well this week and I feel like everything has just been fun.” She further added, “I feel like our chemistry was really good, we just talked about random things. It worked really well.” Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand and Tom Kim of Korea recorded a third-round score of 64. Their performance, which included two birdies on the final two holes, earned them a second-place finish at 26 under par. The American duo Jennifer Kupcho and Akshay Bhatia achieved an eagle on the 17th hole, bringing their score to 26 under. However, a bogey on the 18th hole resulted in them finishing one shot behind. Lydia Ko from New Zealand and Jason Day from Australia, the winners of the tournament’s inaugural event in 2023, concluded their third round with a score of 67, finishing the competition at 20 under par.