Grant Thornton Invitational: Patty Tavatanakit and Jake Knapp hold first-round lead

Patty Tavatanakit and Jake Knapp hold a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Grant Thornton Invitational in Naples, Florida.

Thailand’s Tavatanakit and American Knapp compiled a 14-under-par round of 58, with 12 birdies and one eagle in the PGA & LPGA Tour mixed event.

American pair Jennifer Kupcho and Akshay Bhatia, and Canadian duo Brooke Henderson and Corey Connors are a shot further back in a tie for second.

Staged over three rounds at the Tiburon Golf Club from 13-15 December for a shared £3.5m ($4m) purse, the event features 16 mixed pairs.

New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and Australia’s Jason Day, who won the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational in 2023, ended their round with a birdie to move into a tie for sixth.

The last mixed team event held by the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour was the 1999 JC Penney Classic.