Grant Thornton Invitational: LPGA placing depart males speechless

There hasn’t been a combined occasion bringing the PGA and LPGA Excursions collectively since 1999. That lastly ended till this yr as they joined forces for the Grant Thornton Invitational.

Every day will characteristic a special format for the three-day 54-hole occasion.

There are 16 groups within the occasion, with every comprised of 1 LPGA and one PGA star.

In Spherical 1, scores have been loopy low, as they performed a scramble. Among the many 16 groups within the area, 9 shot 59 or higher. It was a birdie fest, and the putts have been dropping.

Following the primary few teams, a development rapidly emerged. These ladies can flat-out putt. Leona Maguire and Lucas Glover, who fired off a bogey-free 57 collectively, made 11 straight birdies.

Rose Zhang and Sahith Theegala recorded a 14-under 58, together with 10 birdies down the stretch. Nick Taylor and Ruoning Yin matched the California duo with a 58.

Whereas the fellows had the size off the tee, the ladies acquired the job achieved on the greens.

Their male companions acknowledged it, too. All 4 knew how good the women have been, however the proof was much more noticeable after that first spherical.

Glover did his analysis earlier than this week, which proved useful.

“I knew fairly early on, simply get her on the inexperienced as shut as potential, and I wouldn’t need to putt a lot,” Glover mentioned. “Yeah, once I noticed our pairing, I checked the whole lot out, and I’d watched a number of the Solheim Cup lately anyway.”

They labored nicely collectively and his technique labored. When he acquired her on the inexperienced, she sank the putt. There have been only a few cases the place her ball didn’t discover the underside of the cup in a single stroke.

The identical might be mentioned for Theegala and Zhang. They labored nicely collectively, and since they’d identified one another since childhood, he knew he needed to have her as a companion. After their spherical, he bragged about Zhang’s placing means.

Picture by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Photographs

“I believe part of her sport that doesn’t get talked about a lot is her placing,” Theegala mentioned. “Even earlier than this week, watching her on TV, she hits her line each single time. That gave me a number of confidence, too, realizing that I’m going to be getting excellent reads all week.”

Taylor’s enjoying companion, Ruoning Yin, helped carry the load on the greens.

“Ruoning made a bunch of putts simply to maintain us in it and get us going, so birdieing the final seven holes is at all times a enjoyable approach to end,” he mentioned.

It appeared each male companion needed to brag concerning the women’ placing skills, and it was clear why.

Nevertheless, this development might lengthen to the ladies’s brief sport, particularly with World No. 1 Lilia Vu, who placed on a clinic across the greens as nicely.

Her enjoying companion, Joel Dahmen, additionally did his homework on his enjoying companion Lilia Vu.

“I’m not the best putter in historical past,” Dahmen mentioned. “I’m getting higher. I acquired higher loads as we speak. However I hit it in play loads. I hit a number of greens, after which watching her make all of the putts goes to be actually enjoyable. I’m simply going to be celebrating on the aspect as she’s rolling in all of the putts.”

Dahmen did simply that. He was Vu’s greatest cheerleader on Friday.

She additionally made an enormous eagle chip-in on the par-5 14th, giving Dahmen an ideal likelihood to exhibit his celebration. He is aware of he hit the companion jackpot with Vu. She is pink sizzling on the course proper now, and her brief sport on Friday proved that.

The ladies got here able to play and impress on this inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational. With a frightening Day 2 foursome/alternate shot format awaiting them, it was necessary to go low on Friday.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in Via. You’ll be able to comply with her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for extra golf protection. Make sure to take a look at @_PlayingThrough too.