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NAPLES, Fla. – Rose Zhang wasn’t even born the final time the PGA Tour and LPGA held a mixed-team occasion. Ludvig Aberg was a mere 2 months outdated in December of 1999, when legends Laura Davies and John Daly received the ultimate version of the JCPenney Basic.
For generations of gamers, what occurred this week on the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitation was a brand new idea – they usually need extra of it.
“We have to do that for the sport of golf,” mentioned Billy Horschel of bringing the 2 excursions collectively. “We do loads of stuff that appears out for the gamers, however we’d like to verify we’re taking good care of the followers and enthusiastic about the followers extra.”
Talking of followers, there have been extra at Tiburon Golf Membership than at earlier QBE Shootouts and CME Group Tour Championships. Cheyenne Knight teed off early with companion Tom Hoge and was shocked by the variety of followers on the primary tee. Ticket gross sales and concession gross sales doubled this week in comparison with final 12 months’s QBE and hospitality bought out, in accordance with match officers.
Knight hopes a few of these native followers come again subsequent 12 months for the CME, the place the winner will obtain a $4 million first-place verify, the most important in all of girls’s sports activities.
Joel Dahmen marveled on the variety of children he noticed this week, significantly little ladies, excess of a median week on the PGA Tour, he mentioned. He known as watching Lexi Thompson’s ace on Saturday one of many highlights of his 12 months, and mentioned he’d prefer to see the Grant Thornton area increase from 16 groups in 2024.
“There’s no purpose we will’t have extra mixed-team occasions,” mentioned Dahmen after Saturday foursomes. “There are such a lot of occasions on the PGA Tour, rankings aren’t all the time superb in a few of these fields. To herald the ladies’s recreation can be superior.
“I used to be utterly outclassed as we speak by Lexi.”
Lexi Thompson of the USA and Rickie Fowler of the USA look on from the primary inexperienced in the course of the second spherical of the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Membership on December 09, 2023 in Naples, Florida. (Picture by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Photos)
Early week buzz on the Grant Thornton was overshadowed by U.S. Golf Affiliation and R&A rollback information and Jon Rahm to LIV Golf drama, controversies that dominated the golf chatter on social media and past. The motion at Tiburon, nevertheless, supplied a much-needed escape from that which divides golf followers.
The Grant Thornton was a celebration of what unites – camaraderie, competitors and inspiration. Thursday’s junior clinic with Amy Bockerstette, Jessica Korda, Leona Maguire and Dahmen epitomizes what golf can do for good. Bockerstette’s “I Obtained This Basis” is likely one of the charities that advantages from cash raised this week.
Strolling onto the primary tee Friday, Sahith Theegala turned to Dahmen’s caddie and famous how “cool” it was to play in the identical group as Lilia Vu, the primary world No. 1 he’d ever performed alongside, and to companion with Zhang, a dominant novice he predicted can be a future No. 1 on the LPGA.
“Me and Joel have been joking that Lilia and Rose might be higher than perhaps we ever might be,” mentioned Theegala, who received his first PGA Tour title at this 12 months’s Fortinet Championship.
PGA Tour gamers admired the video games of LPGA gamers all week, and it felt real. Former No. 1 Jason Day requested Lydia Ko about her wedge recreation, noting that he’d be attempting to emulate his Kiwi companion in the course of the offseason.
Main champion Justin Rose described his taking part in companion, Charley Hull, as an old-school participant, detailing the way in which she shapes her iron pictures. He known as Hull “fearless” and described her brief recreation as “unbelievable.”
Such reward goes a great distance in constructing respect for feminine gamers who struggle weekly for the eye of not simply the sports activities world, however of these already throughout the golf panorama.
Justin Rose of England and Charley Hull of England discuss on the second inexperienced in the course of the first spherical of the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Membership on December 08, 2023 in Naples, Florida. (Picture by Douglas DeFelice/Getty Photos)
Rose, who based and backed the Rose Girls Collection in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic to offer British gamers a spot to compete, will get it greater than most.
“You want fan consciousness to have the pay equality,” mentioned Rose. “As a result of clearly on the finish of the day, it’s a industrial enterprise. You want the eyes watching it to type of make the TV {dollars} on the again finish.
“So I feel clearly followers with the ability to choose their favourite gamers, to be a bit extra conscious across the talent degree across the ladies’s recreation, establish with the gamers and their tales – they’re extra prone to watch going ahead. I feel that is completely a kind of key occasions to assist do this.”
Nick Taylor took be aware how the followers in Naples reacted with shock to the ladies typically hitting it nearer than their male counterparts. There was no Shotlink obtainable this week, however hopefully subsequent 12 months because the distinctive codecs – significantly the modified fourball, the place gamers hit drives after which change balls – can present some fascinating information factors.
Making Olympic golf a combined occasion has lengthy been talked about and got here up as soon as once more in Naples, as did a bigger combined staff occasion just like the Presidents Cup.
“ my grand ball, somebody’s received to step up,” mentioned Horshel.
“A staff competitors, Ryder Cup-style between the U.S. and Europe, or whether or not or not it’s the U.S. and the world, women and men … I feel that will be one other dwelling run for everybody concerned. I feel that’s coming down the road.
“If it’s not being talked about then I don’t know, perhaps we have to change the individuals within the positions and get some extra modern thinkers in there.”
The sport wants it.
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