Staff WriterThe Grant Thornton Invitational wasted no time reminding everyone why this mixed-team experiment has become one of the most watchable stops on the calendar. By the end of the opening scramble, Tiburón had been politely dismantled, scoreboards were blinking in disbelief, and Charley Hull and Michael Brennan had walked straight into the record books.
Hull, the LPGA’s World No. 5, and PGA TOUR rookie Brennan carded a bogey-free 17-under-par 55, setting a new tournament scoring record in the scramble format at the Grant Thornton Invitational. Two eagles, 13 birdies, no fuss, no drama — just ruthless efficiency.
Hull made it sound simple enough afterwards.
“I feel like we’re both pretty calm. I like asking a lot of questions because I like to learn off the guys, and he’s got a really good game. So he probably thought I was super nosey on what he’s hitting, but I was just learning. It was pretty calm out there.”
Brennan, playing his first event of this kind and clearly aware of the company he was keeping, admitted the nerves were there early.
“I was kind of nervous to start like more than a normal tournament. I just didn’t want to let Charley down. It’s a different format, you know, I’m not used to playing and like having a partner to rely on, but I felt like — I don’t know how you felt, but after a couple holes I felt like we kind of found our flow.”
That flow was evident. The previous scramble record of 16-under, set by Nelly Korda and Tony Finau in 2023, didn’t last long once Hull and Brennan found their rhythm. Hull is making her second appearance at the event — her first since finishing T9 alongside Justin Rose in 2023 — while Brennan is debuting at the tournament after earning his first PGA TOUR victory at the Bank of Utah Championship.
They weren’t alone at the top.
Lexi Thompson and Wyndham Clark matched the 17-under mark, tying the scramble record and ensuring the Grant Thornton Invitational leaderboard had genuine bite heading into the next phase. Thompson, making her third start at the event, was clear about why this week still matters, even as the season winds down.
“Grant Thornton does great things for this event. To bring the PGA TOUR and LPGA together, it’s kind of what we want to end our year on, a nice, more relaxed tournament. But still at the same time we want to compete and play well.”
Clark, making his first appearance, was quick to praise how neatly their games meshed.
“I feel like we kind of have similar games to be honest. She hits it really far off the tee, and if one of us is in play, we’re significantly past kind of the competitors and we have our advantage there. She’s a great putter. Yeah, I mean, really I felt like our games complement each other perfectly and I didn’t think there was any flaws in her game. Yeah, we had a lot of fun out there.”
Thompson and Clark posted 13 birdies and two eagles, continuing a trend that has defined this tournament: relaxed doesn’t mean casual, and fun doesn’t mean forgiving.
Behind the leaders, Lauren Coughlin and Andrew Novak sit third after a spotless round featuring 15 birdies. It’s their first start together, and they looked like a pair who had been doing this for years.
“I was able to kind of keep us in the fairway and he was able to kind of just hit away if he needed to. But he was hitting his irons really, really good. He naturally birdied every par 3 today on his own ball. Yeah, I think we just — like I said, we just ham-and-egged it really good. I feel like we’re really similar players, we don’t hit it super far but we hit it really straight, especially our irons. We both putted really well.”
Novak, no stranger to thriving in shared responsibility, put it simply.
“I do like team golf. I think it’s just a little bit different aspect to it. I’ve been lucky to have two good partners this year and the vibes have been good during the tournament. We’re just out there having a lot of fun, making birdies and not taking it too seriously, just doing our job.”
Three teams share fourth, including Rose Zhang and Michael Kim, who recorded two eagles and 10 birdies in their opening round at the Grant Thornton Invitational. Zhang enjoyed the chance to learn a new partner’s rhythms without pressure.
“It was honestly really cool. I think right off the bat we had a good Tuesday practice round and we just, we had a good time out there. Just hit a couple shots, got to see each other hit a little bit. But we didn’t really put too much pressure on each other or ourselves. I feel like that’s what you want in a team competition, especially when you’re with someone for the first time. So we all had just a really good time. And his coach Sean was also out there just talking a lot.”
Kim, ever pragmatic, summed up the dynamic succinctly.
“Well, Rose hits it down the middle of the fairway every time. I just tried to hit as far as I could, yeah, depending on the tee box. Sometimes I have a little bit of a length advantage so I tried to help out there where I could. You know, we both played really well today.”
Jennifer Kupcho and Chris Gotterup also sit T4 after rattling off 14 birdies, including one on every hole on the front nine. Both arrive off wins this season, Kupcho at the ShopRite LPGA Classic and Gotterup at the Genesis Scottish Open. Nelly Korda and Denny McCarthy round out the group, each producing two eagles and 10 birdies in their opening salvo.
Defending champions Patty Tavatanakit and Jake Knapp are seventh at 13-under, while Jessica Korda made a welcome return to competitive golf, teaming with Bud Cauley for a 10-under round that included three straight birdies coming home.
Looking ahead to foursomes, strategy is already sharpening.
“Yeah, we actually just talked about it. So I’m going to play off odds and he’s going to play off evens because his iron game is just so good, not to use that on par 3s and take advantage of that. I think it’s going to work out pretty good,” said Angel Yin.
Tom Hoge, paired with Yin, was characteristically dry about how it all came together.
“Yeah, I didn’t really know. I was just hoping for a spot in the field and I think Angel needed a partner so she got stuck with me. This is my third year playing. It’s a great week here and I always look forward to coming back. Just enjoying this nice weather.”
Records, it turns out, are there to be tested at the Grant Thornton Invitational. The scramble mark now sits at 55 (-17), foursomes at 64 (-8), and the 54-hole total at 189 (-27). With formats still to change and momentum shifting by the hour, the only certainty is that this tournament remains gloriously unpredictable — and all the better for it.
