Patty Tavatanakit and Jake Knapp increased their lead heading into the final round of the Grant Thornton Invitational following a strong display on day two.
Although the pair failed to match the heroics of day one where they birdied their first nine holes on their way to a 14-under-par 58, Tavatanakit and Knapp actually increased their lead to two strokes rather than one as they went around in 66 to sit atop the leaderboard at 20-under par.
The mixed team event featuring PGA and LPGA Tour stars at the Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, employs three different formats over three rounds and finished with a modified four-ball, where both players tee off and switch balls for their second shots before then playing that same ball until it is holed.
Tavatanakit and Knapp admitted they didn’t find it easy on day two as inclement weather made play difficult in the USA’s southernmost state, but a positive mindset proved vital for the pairing.
“The first nine holes were just brutal with how much wind there was, rain, everything else,” said Knapp. “She did a great job of keeping me positive.
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“I think we just did a good job of kind of following up bad shots with good shots and we were able to just grind it out.”
Jeeno Thitikul and Tom Kim climbed up to second place after shooting an eight-under-par 64, to move on to 18-under par, nudging ahead of Jennifer Kupcho and Akshay Bhatia who are a shot further back.
Three-time major winner Lydia Ko and former men’s No 1 Jason Day, who won last year’s event, followed up a 10-under 62 on Friday with a 67 to sit 15-under par, five shots off the lead.
“The chemistry that our whole team has even with our caddies has been great,” said Ko.
“I’m just excited for tomorrow and I feel like we’ve got a really good one and we’ve been consistently playing better. So hopefully today’s back nine will give us good momentum for tomorrow.”
Patty Tavatanakit and Jake Knapp continue to lead the way heading into the final round on Sunday
What is the Grant Thornton Invitational?
The 54-hole competition is a mixed-team event that sees 16 LPGA Tour and 16 PGA Tour professionals compete together in a unique co-sanctioned tournament.
The three-day tournament offers three different formats of team play and allows the 32-player field to compete for equal prize money and visibility.
It is the second successive year the tournament has featured on the schedule, having been launched in 2023 as the first co-sanctioned event between the LPGA Tour and PGA Tour since the JCPenney Classic in 1999.
Watch the Grant Thornton Invitational throughout the weekend live on Sky Sports. Live coverage from the third round starts on Sunday from 6pm on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the PGA Tour and more with NOW.
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