NAPLES (Fla.) – Lydia Ko, a former world no. The Grant Thornton Invitational saw Lydia Ko and Jason Day, two former world No. It is even more impressive considering that they met for the very first time this week.
Day said, “It is fun, but it’s still important to me to win. I know Lydia does too.” Day said, “We definitely could use a victory like this or a good finishing to propel us to next season…. I told Lydia that there are certain things in our swings we both want to work on and try to work under pressure.”
Ko and Day are two shots ahead of overnight leaders Tony Finau/Nelly Koda (70), and Leona McGuire/Lucas Glover.
The LPGA’s $4 million purse is the largest on the LPGA, outside of major events and the CME Group Tour Championship. The prize money for the winners is $1 million ($500,000).
Rickie Foller and Lexi Thompson jumped up to a tie for fourth place after shooting a 4-under-68. Thompson shot her 11th hole-in one in a career on the par-3 sixteenth, which is 158 yards long. She has five official LPGA tournaments.
Thompson said that he used his 7-iron club, which was a 62-65 club, and backed two club lengths away from the tee mark, then just hit a 3/4 of a hole.
Thompson said that she will keep the ball in her collection of aces, albatrosses and other balls.
Fowler said of his shot of the day, “Never leave the flag.”
ACE FOR LEXI
@Lexi @RickieFowler and @GTInvitational are now one behind the lead @GTInvitational pic.twitter.com/zlPleOSM5k
— PGA TOUR December 9, 2020
For the final round on Sunday, the 16-team tournament will be restructured again. A modified alternate shot will be used. Both players will start the hole and then use each other’s balls for the rest of the hole.
Ko said, “I’m not worried about the new format.” Jason has hit about 90 percent or so of the fairways. Today, I got to hit his ball and he got to hit mine. This was a kind of warm-up for tomorrow.
“I joked before I knew how it would be, ‘Oh man, Jason has to hit from places that he’s not hit from before, maybe a little farther back.’ But we’re going to actually do that.”
