The Grant Thornton Invitational announced the 32 players for the 16-team mixed field for its fourth annual event from Dec. 11-13 at Tiburón Golf Club in Naples.
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 in a release.
The LPGA Tour and PGA Tour professionals will compete for an equal purse of $4.1 million. The three-day competition will include Scramble, Foursomes and a Modified Four-Ball format.
Here is how the teams break down.
(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 second 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.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Grant Thornton 2026 field released for December Naples golf event