It’s official. LPGA and the PGA Tour have announced a new mixed-team event in 2023.
As part of the Challenge Season, the PGA Touis will debut at Tiburon Golf Club, Naples, Florida.
This will be the first co-sanctioned mixed-team event between the two tours since John Daly & Laura Davies won 1999’s JCPenney Classic.
The 32-player field will include 16 PGA Tour players and 16 LPGA golfers competing for a $4,000,000 purse. The event will be televised on NBC and Golf Channel.
Jay Monahan, PGA Tour commissioner, stated that the addition of a mixed tournament to the golf calendar was a priority as we seek to capitalize on growing interest in the sport of golf. He also expressed gratitude to Grant Thornton, title sponsor, for helping to deliver an event that will make the sport more attractive and welcoming to all. We look forward to partnering the LPGA as they deliver top-class entertainment to our fans and residents of Southwest Florida who have embraced PGA Tour over the past 22 year.
Mollie Marcoux Samaan, LPGA commissioner, said that this was a significant step forward for women’s golf and LPGA. We are incredibly grateful to Grant Thornton and the PGA Tour for their leadership. We look forward producing a world-class event that inspires and elevates golfers all over the world.
Grant Thornton is the official marketing partner for the PGA Tour. He sponsors a roster that includes Tony Finau and Rickie Fowler, as well as sisters Nelly Korda and Jessica Korda and Mel Reid.
Finau stated that “PGA Tour athletes will be playing alongside the top LPGA Tour athletes. It’s going to be amazing for our fans.” They’ve longed for something like this for a while. It’s a great thing for our fans, and Grant Thornton stepping in to help the PGA Tour or LPGA Tour put on this tournament is a special moment.”
Last year, Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson were the only female competitors in the QBE Shootout at Tiburon. Korda finished fifth with Denny McCarthy, her partner. Lexi and Maverick McNealy, her partner, tied for 10th.
No. 2-ranked Korda. “This will be my perfect chance to help the game grow and inspire the next generation.”
Tiburon is also home to the LPGA’s season ending CME Group Tour Championship. This championship returns Nov. 16-19, with Lydia Ko as the defending champion.
