Staff WriterThe Grant Thornton Invitational has that rare “family Christmas game night” energy—smiles on the outside, quiet panic underneath—especially once alternate shot rolls around. And after a second-round 68, Lauren Coughlin (World No. 20) and Andrew Novak (World No. 32) have put themselves in the seat with the best view of Sunday.
Coughlin didn’t pretend it’s comfortable. She described the stop-start mental grind of the format and how it turns routine putts into uphill committee meetings:
“I’m really a big rhythm person so the starting and stopping is like the big challenge at least for me mentally, like he said, but actually just hitting the golf shots just isn’t. Like the longest putt I’ve had is like a 10-foot and now all of a sudden I have like a 35-footer up over a ridge. So that’s kind of more of the challenge in it than like actually just playing regular golf.”
Novak, meanwhile, sounded like a man enjoying golf’s rare permission slip to loosen the tie and still keep the score honest:
“I think that’s kind of the thing of it, it is fun. Like you’re going out, playing a team event, having fun, making as many birdies as you can and not taking it too seriously. Trying to hit the best shots you can. You’re going through your process. It is a little bit like a normal tournament in that you’re doing the best you can, but I think the team aspect just adds a little fun to it.”
Their day had a bit of everything—a double-bogey, four birdies and an eagle, with the loudest moment belonging to Coughlin’s hole-out eagle from the bunker on No. 17. It’s her second start in the Grant Thornton Invitational (she played with Cameron Young in 2024 and finished T7), while Novak is making his first appearance at the tournament.
The closest challengers: Hull-Brennan second, Thompson-Clark third
In second place, Charley Hull and Michael Brennan are building chemistry on the fly—first start together, and a second-round 71 built on four birdies and three bogeys. Hull is making her second start at this event and her first since 2023 (she played with Justin Rose that season and finished T9). Brennan is making his first appearance at this tournament.
Hull made it clear she’s not bothered by starting the final day as the hunter rather than the hunted:
“I like stalking someone down, I like the chase idea. I’m not too sure what Michael’s like. Obviously it would have been nice going into the lead going into the final round, but we can make plenty of birdies out there tomorrow.”
Brennan, for his part, sounded like a rookie who knows exactly what sort of lightning he’s been handed:
“Yeah, she is awesome. I like that she tries to hit shots into greens, it’s kind of fun to see. Super good and confident on the green, which I love as my partner. I felt like she really picked me up today.”
Sitting third, Lexi Thompson and Wyndham Clark (also debut partners) posted a second-round 72 with two bogeys and two birdies. Thompson—now in her third start at the Grant Thornton Invitational after teaming with Rickie Fowler the previous two years—called alternate shot exactly what it feels like when one swing can quietly ruin dinner:
“I would say it does come down to probably this format, it’s probably the most difficult for sure. Scramble I would say is the more enjoyable one. It’s definitely a little more stressful today. Yeah, it’s just about being positive out there and giving your partner a look in the fairway and available shot into the green. That’s what we did. We just kind of stayed patient and positive.”
Clark explained his own motive for showing up sharp—and enjoying the rare chance to compete alongside the LPGA stars:
“Yeah, it’s nice for sure this year because we don’t have Sentry the 3 Tournament of Champions because it was canceled. We don’t play golf for a while, so it’s really nice to try to stay sharp. We never get to play with the girls, so it’s really fun. It’s such a relaxed, fun format that really it’s an opportunity to come work on your game, have fun and yeah, enjoy yourself.”
Defending champs still lurking
The defending champions Patty Tavatanakit and Jake Knapp sit at T11 and 11-under-par, playing together for the second straight year at the Grant Thornton Invitational. Their second round included three birdies, a bogey and two double bogeys, but they’ve proven they can go low across formats when it matters most.
Henderson and Conners: momentum building
Further down the board, Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners sounded like a partnership that knows how to keep things tidy when the golf gets loud.
“We just have a really nice energy between us, I think, and amongst our caddies as well. Makes a great team. Corey was hitting it really close for me today so I was able to roll in some putts, which was really nice. I feel like once we made a couple birdies, then we really had a lot of momentum. Like Corey said, there’s a couple shots that I wish I had back too, helped my partner a little bit more, but I feel like 5 under alternate shot is pretty good. It’s nice to climb up the leaderboard and be back in the tournament.”
Conners kept it simple—faith in your partner, normal plans, and fewer heroic decisions:
“I feel like just kind of sticking to our normal game plans. You know, I got a lot of faith in her ability and know that she’s going to hit a lot of really good shots. I feel like just trying to treat it as normal a round of golf as possible, try and keep it in play and try and get as many looks as possible, just keeping it simple.”
Tournament scoring records (as listed)
- Scramble: 55 (-17), Charley Hull & Michael Brennan and Lexi Thompson & Wyndham Clark (2025)
- Foursomes: 64 (-8), Jeeno Thitikul & Tom Kim (2024)
- Modified Four-Ball: 60 (-12), Madelene Sagstrom & Ludvig Aberg (2023)
- 18 holes – 55 (-17), Charley Hull & Michael Brennan and Lexi Thompson & Wyndham Clark (2025)
- 36 holes – 124 (-20), Patty Tavatanakit & Jake Knapp (2024), Lydia Ko & Jason Day (2023)
- 54 holes – 189 (-27), Patty Tavatanakit & Jake Knapp (2024)
