Grant Thornton Invitational set for 2023 debut at Tiburón Golf Club and The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón
Unique co-sanctioned tournament provides competition with equal prize money and visibility
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, DAYTONA BEACH and NAPLES, FLORIDA – The PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour and Grant Thornton LLP today announced a new mixed-team Challenge Season event that will see LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR players compete together in a unique co-sanctioned tournament.
The Grant Thornton Invitational is set to debut December 4-10, 2023, at Tiburón Golf Club and The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón. The precedent-building event will allow players from the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour to compete for an equal prize and visibility – a format new to the current era of professional golf. The last time the two tours held an annual mixed-team competition was in 1999, when John Daly and Laura Davies won the final edition of the JCPenney Classic.
“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,” PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan said. “We look forward to partnering with the LPGA as we deliver first-class entertainment and competition to our fans and the residents of Southwest Florida, who have embraced the PGA TOUR for the past 22 years.”
“We could not be more excited to add the Grant Thornton Invitational to our 2023 schedule,” said LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan. “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. We’re incredibly grateful for the leadership of our partners at the PGA TOUR and Grant Thornton, and we look forward to producing a best-in-class event that inspires, elevates and advances opportunities for golfers around the globe.”
Grant Thornton CEO Seth Siegel echoes this sentiment: “At Grant Thornton, we believe golf can bring people together – to be their very best, to eliminate barriers to achievement and to help build inclusive communities. That’s why we are working with the PGA TOUR and the LPGA Tour to create a tournament where the world’s best golfers, both men and women, can compete head-to-head on a level playing field. We know that players and fans alike will enjoy this singular event and what it represents for sports and society.”
Grant Thornton, which is an Official Marketing Partner of the PGA TOUR, currently sponsors a roster of golf ambassadors who are leading change both on and off the course. They include sportscaster Michael Wilbon and professional golfers Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, sisters Nelly and Jessica Korda, Mel Reid, and Cameron Champ, whose Mack Champ Invitational tournament hosts the game’s best junior golfers of diverse backgrounds. The firm also operates an initiative to help Historically Black Colleges and Universities grow the game of golf and create new opportunities for student athletes. It currently supports golf programs at Alabama State, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, Prairie View A&M, Tennessee State and Texas Southern.
“PGA TOUR athletes playing alongside the best athletes from the LPGA Tour is going to be incredible for our fans,” said Tony Finau, PGA TOUR professional golfer. “They’ve been wanting something like this for a long time. Our fans deserve it, and seeing Grant Thornton stepping up to help the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour put together this tournament, I think is very special.”
“The Grant Thornton Invitational really is about being inclusive and showing people that golf can be accessible for everyone, no matter what way you play,” said Nelly Korda, LPGA Tour professional golfer. “This is going to be the perfect opportunity for me to do something important in helping to grow the game and inspire the next generation.”
The Grant Thornton Invitational will support a variety of worthy charities, including CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, while QBE Insurance, Franklin Templeton Investments and The Naples Convention & Visitors Bureau have committed to support the Southwest Florida tournament in a meaningful way. Tiburón Golf Club and The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón will continue to host the LPGA Tour’s season- ending CME Group Tour Championship, which returns November 16-19, 2023, with Lydia Ko as defending champion.
For more information visit GrantThorntonInvitational.com.
About PGA TOUR
By showcasing golf’s greatest players, the PGA TOUR engages, inspires and positively impacts our fans, partners and communities worldwide.
The PGA TOUR, headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, co-sanctions tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, PGA TOUR Canada and administers the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament and PGA TOUR University. TOUR members represent the world’s best players, hailing from 25 countries and territories. Showcasing the biggest moments in the sport with history and legacy on the line, the PGA TOUR has long-term domestic distribution partnerships for broadcast coverage on CBS, NBC and Golf Channel and video streaming service on ESPN+. Internationally, PGA TOUR coverage is available across 200+ countries and territories in 26 languages via 44 broadcast and digital partners. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations to maximize charitable giving, and to date, tournaments across all Tours have generated more than $3.37 billion.
Fans can follow the PGA TOUR on the new PGA TOUR app and PGATOUR.COM, and on social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram (in Spanish, Korean and Japanese), LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter (in English and Spanish), WeChat, Weibo, Toutiao, Douyin and LINE.
About the LPGA
The LPGA is the world’s leading professional golf organization for women, with a goal to change the face of golf by making the sport more accessible and inclusive.
Created in 1950 by 13 Founders, the Association celebrates a diverse and storied history. The LPGA Tour competes across the globe, reaching television audiences in more than 220 countries. The Epson Tour, the LPGA’s official qualifying tour, consistently produces a pipeline of talent ready for the world stage. The LPGA also holds a joint-venture collaboration with the Ladies European Tour (LET), increasing playing opportunities for female golfers in Europe. Across the three Tours, the LPGA represents players in more than 60 countries.
Additionally, the LPGA Foundation has empowered and supported girls and women since 1991, most notably through LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, the only national program of its kind, which annually engages with nearly 100,000 girls. The LPGA Amateur Golf Association and LPGA Women’s Network provide virtual and in-person connections to female golfers around the world, while LPGA Professionals are educators, business leaders and gamechangers dedicated to growing the game of golf for everyone.
Follow the LPGA on its U.S. television home, Golf Channel, online at www.LPGA.com and on its mobile apps. Join the social conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
About Grant Thornton LLP
Grant Thornton LLP (Grant Thornton) is one of America’s largest audit, tax and advisory firms — and the U.S. member firm of the Grant Thornton International Ltd global network. We go beyond the expected to make business more personal and build trust into every result. With revenues of $2.3 billion for the fiscal year that ended July 31, 2022, and almost 50 offices nationwide, Grant Thornton is a community of more than 8,000 problem solvers who value relationships and are ready to help organizations of all sizes and industries create more confident futures. Because, for us, how we serve matters as much as what we do.
“Grant Thornton” refers to Grant Thornton LLP, the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd (GTIL). GTIL and the member firms are not a worldwide partnership. Services are delivered by the member firms. GTIL and its member firms are not agents of, and do not obligate, one another and are not liable for one another’s acts or omissions.
For more information go to www.grantthortoninvitational.com
