PGA and LPGA Tours Ready for Grant Thornton Invitational

Location: Naples, Florida.
Course: Tiburon Golf Club (Gold). Yardage: 7,382 yards for men and 6,700 yards for women. Par: 72.
Prize Fund: $4 million. The share for the winner amounts to $500,000 per player.
Broadcast Schedule: Friday from 1-4 p.m. on Golf Channel; Saturday from 2-3 p.m. on Golf Channel and 3-5 p.m. on NBC; Sunday from 1-2 p.m. on Golf Channel and 2-4 p.m. on NBC.
Defending Title Holders: Jason Day and Lydia Ko.
Current FedEx Cup Champion: Scottie Scheffler.
CME Globe Champion: Jeeno Thitikul.
Recent Results: Scottie Scheffler clinched victory at the Hero World Challenge last week, while Jeeno Thitikul took home the title at the CME Group Tour Championship.

This 54-hole tournament format features 16 two-player teams consisting of players from both the PGA and LPGA Tours. Now in its second season, this tournament marks a return for mixed-team events, which had not been held since 1999.
Returning to defend their titles are Jason Day and Lydia Ko, who are part of a total of four returning teams, including Canadians Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson, Tony Finau partnered with Nelly Korda, and Rickie Fowler alongside Lexi Thompson.
About three weeks ago, the LPGA held its season-closing CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon, which was won by Thitikul, who will be teaming up with Tom Kim for this event.
Notably, Tony Finau has withdrawn from the Hero World Challenge due to recovery from knee surgery conducted in October.
Among the participants, five top 10 players in the women’s world ranking will compete. Sahith Theegala, ranked No. 13 in the PGA Tour, will be playing with Allisen Corpuz.
Newcomers on the PGA Tour, Nick Dunlap, Matthieu Pavon, and Jake Knapp, who all celebrated their first victories this year, will also be present for the competition.

Upcoming Events: The Sentry from January 2-5 for the PGA Tour and the Grand Hilton Vacations Tournament of Champions from January 30 to February 2 for the LPGA Tour.

European Tour: Alfred Dunhill Championship

Location: Malelane, South Africa.
Course: Leopard Creek Country Club. Yardage: 7,112. Par: 72.
Prize Pool: 1.5 million euros, with the winner receiving 250,000 euros.
Broadcasting: This week, the Golf Channel will show the tournament from Thursday to Friday between 5-10 a.m. and Saturday to Sunday from 4:30-9:30 a.m.
Defending Champion: Louis Oosthuizen.
Current Race to Dubai Leader: Johannes Veerman.
Oosthuizen will be looking to create history by becoming only the third player to win back-to-back titles at the Dunhill Championship, joining Charl Schwartzel and Pablo Martin.
Additionally, Schwartzel, Oosthuizen, and Dean Burmester represent LIV Golf, participating in their native tournament.
Initially held in 2000, the Alfred Dunhill Championship has always been co-sanctioned by the European Tour. Adam Scott won his first of 29 global titles at this event back in 2001.
This week, Ryggs Johnston, a newcomer to the European Tour after earning his card at Q-school, along with a recent win at the Australian Open, is in South Africa for his fourth consecutive week—but he is not slated to compete next week.
Charl Schwartzel, known for his impressive record at Leopard Creek with four wins and five second-place finishes, will also be in attendance. Thriston Lawrence is the only player in the event ranked within the top 50 worldwide at No. 46.

Next Week’s Tournament: AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.

Other Tours

PGA Tour: Q-School is taking place at TPC Sawgrass (Dye’s Valley), located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, with Harrison Endycott as the previous winner. The broadcasting schedule includes Saturday from 1-3 p.m. on the NBC Sports app and 3-5 p.m. on Golf Channel, followed by Sunday from noon to 2 p.m. on the NBC Sports app and 2-4 p.m. on Golf Channel.
PGA Tour of Australasia: Gippsland Super 6 event held at Warragul Country Club in Warragul, Australia, where Kerry Mountcastle is the defending champion.