The Grant Thornton Invitational is a one-of-a-kind event. A mixed event as such has not been seen in the last two decades, i.e., where the best of the LPGA Tour and the PGA Tour compete together and against each other. Among the 16 pairs playing, there is also one young duo: LPGA rookie Rose Zhang and 2023 Fortinet Champion Sahith Theegala.

At the $4 million mixed event, the two young stars will undoubtedly have to pull out all the stops to keep up with the experienced players on the field. However, their recent reveal of how their team came to be showcases their strong bond, which could give them an edge over the other pairs!

The tale behind Rose Zhang and Sahith Theegala’s partnership

The Grant Thornton Invitational will begin on Friday this week, and ahead of their tee-off in round one in Naples, Rose Zhang and Sahith Theegala sat down with the press and revealed who had the bright idea of forming the team. Surprisingly, it was the PGA Tour star, and the reason? Well, it was none other than him being in awe of Zhang’s golf skills.

Theegala explained that he was following Zang’s amateur career and was amazed by her skill. The 25-year-old pro said, “I kept track of her college career and everything, and I’m like, all right, I need to find a way to get her out to play with me this year.”

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Fortunately, luck also sided with Zhang, and he shared the same trainer. In a text thread, the three shared that around “January or February” this year, their coach had claimed that they would pair up together. “I’ve got to turn pro first,” was Zhang’s response to the text. A few months later, however, she did turn pro, and Theegala showed that he hadn’t forgotten the conversation! After Zhang grabbed her maiden victory in June, the PGA Tour star messaged her hilariously and asked, “Am I good enough to still be your partner?”

Things from there were a blur, and eventually they were announced to be on the same team at the invitational. “I don’t even know when it was officially official. Just like kind of happened.” Well, it certainly is for the best, given the friendship the two share. The pair will be starting their first round of scramble at 9:40 a.m. (Eastern time) on Tee #1 with the other team of Lilia Vu and Joel Dahmen at the Tiburon Golf Club.

When do the other pair tee off at the event?

The gates for the event will open to the public at 8:00 a.m. (EST), and the games will be broadcast on The Golf Channel from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The starting pair of the round are Mel Reid/Russell Henley and Allison Corpuz/Cameron Champ, starting at 9:10 a.m., followed by Madelene Sagström/Ludvig Åberg and Leona Maguire/Lucas Glover at 9:25 a.m. The last pair of people teeing it up are Nelly Korda/Tony Finau and Lexi Thompson/Rickie Fowler at 10:55 a.m.

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The event follows a no-cut format, with teams getting points as per their performance; hence, there is no risk of anyone’s favorite team missing the cut. One can tune in to Golf Channel and NBC for the finals to catch the winner of the Grant Thornton Invitational.

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