Staff WriterThe Grant Thornton Invitational delivered its boldest statement yet as Lauren Coughlin and Andrew Novak tore up Tiburon Golf Club and the record books in the same breath. In a format designed to showcase partnership over power, the duo didn’t just win the Grant Thornton Invitational—they owned it.
Coughlin (World No. 20) and Novak (World No. 32) closed the week with a bogey-free, nine-under-par 63, sealing a tournament-record 28-under-par total of 188. Nine birdies. No mistakes. And a finish that felt less like survival and more like a victory lap.
This mixed-team event continues to grow into one of the most compelling weeks on the golf calendar, and Coughlin was quick to underline its wider significance.
“I think it’s great visibility for the LPGA to be able to partner with the PGA TOUR and to get to play with some of the best players in the world on the men’s side. It’s just super fun getting to meet some of the guys that I probably wouldn’t have gotten to meet. It’s really, really cool.”
That spirit of shared responsibility showed in how the pair navigated the closing stretch. Novak, who joined the PGA TOUR in 2022 and already owns a team-event win at the 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, leaned heavily on Coughlin’s reliability when the pressure peaked.
“Yeah, I had some pressure taken off of me I think coming down the stretch. Lauren’s probably the single most reliable golfer I’ve ever played with. I knew no matter what I was going to be hitting from the fairway. So I had a little rough patch off the tee in the middle, but kind of got it squared away on the back nine. Yeah, we were able to ring off some birdies.”
They did more than ring them off—they stacked them. Six birdies came on the back nine alone, five of those in the final six holes, turning what had been a tight leaderboard into daylight.
For Coughlin, this was just her second appearance at the Grant Thornton Invitational, having finished T7 in 2024 alongside Cameron Young. Novak, meanwhile, was making his tournament debut. The chemistry was instant.
Behind them, the leaderboard told its own story of depth and drama.
Three teams shared second place at 25-under-par: Charley Hull and Michael Brennan, Jennifer Kupcho and Michael Gotterup, and Nelly Korda alongside Denny McCarthy.
Hull and Brennan posted a closing 65, highlighted by seven birdies and no bogeys in their first start together. Hull, already a three-time LPGA Tour winner including a victory in 2025, reflected on a week that tested patience more than confidence.
“Yeah, like I’ve been hitting it really well all year, like my iron play’s been unbelievable. And just this week it’s been pretty poor, my Iron play has. I’ve done a lot of work on my swing. I tried doing it last week and my feels wasn’t quite there this week and I just played with what I had. Just go home, a couple days off and then practice because I enjoy doing that.”
Her partner was unequivocal in his praise.
“Yeah, Charley’s a baller. I didn’t really have my best stuff today, really loose with the irons, but she, I mean, kept us in it pretty much single handedly so it was pretty impressive.”
Kupcho and Gotterup matched the low round of the day with a bogey-free 63 of their own, carding nine birdies including three in a row from the sixth. Kupcho, a four-time LPGA Tour winner, saw the week as the perfect way to close her season.
“Yeah, I think it’s just a fun week in general. It was great to pair up with Chris. He kind of took a lot of the pressure off being able to hit a lot of the shots first that maybe I wasn’t comfortable with. We had a lot of fun. We were kind of just joking around and having a good time the whole time, so great way to finish the season.”
Gotterup, who already has two LPGA Tour wins in 2025, including the Genesis Scottish Open, treated the event as an early diagnostic for the year ahead.
“Yeah, I feel like I already had my offseason. I haven’t played much since East Lake. These last two weeks have been good to kind of kick it into gear and see what I need to work on. Yeah, it was a nice two weeks, and this week was great. Nice to kind of be under the gun again today a little bit and know what I’ve got to work on coming into the next year.”
Korda and McCarthy rounded out the T2 finishers with another bogey-free 63, finishing at 25-under-par. For Korda, a 15-time LPGA Tour winner and two-time major champion, the week reinforced the event’s broader value.
“But I have so much respect for Denny and his game. I became a huge fan three years ago. Jay and I follow him. I know Jay’s been out to watch him at a couple events, too. Yeah, this week is so special in growing the game, but also creating great relationships. And I’m a lifelong fan. And same as Denny said, you learn so much from each other and hopefully that continues to build.”
McCarthy, shaking off a quieter spell, saw the Grant Thornton Invitational as the perfect reset.
“I’ve been off, so this is kind of like getting back into it for me. I did play Sea Island two or three weeks ago. Yeah, I’ve been working hard. I took some time off and then played Sea Island. It was a no-brainer to come here and play with Nelly. You know, had I been a little sharper, maybe our names would be on top of the leaderboard.”
Defending champions Patty Tavatanakit and Jake Knapp finished ninth after a sparkling final-round 62, their second straight year pairing up at this event. Tavatanakit’s consistency through 2025 and Knapp’s four top-10 finishes ensured they were never far from the conversation.
By the time the dust settled, the numbers told their own story. Tournament scoring records fell across formats, but the headline belonged to Coughlin and Novak—54 holes, 28 under par, and a performance that elevated the Grant Thornton Invitational from novelty to necessity.
This wasn’t just a win. It was a glimpse of what modern professional golf can be when the game remembers that partnership still matters.
