NAPLES, Fla. — LPGA star Lydia Ko’s fairway metal shot set up the birdie she and PGA Tour counterpart Jason Day needed to win the Grant Thornton Invitational on Sunday.
They closed with a 6-under-par 66 in modified fourballs to capture the first mixed-team event for the women’s and men’s tours in 24 years.
Playing the par-5 17th hole, Australia’s Day and New Zealand’s Ko were tied with the Canadian duo of Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson, who had to settle for two closing pars and a 63.
The format allowed both players to hit tee shots, then switch to the other player’s golf ball and finish out the hole. Day was in a bunker left of the green at the par-5 17th, no easy up-and-down finish. Ko had 208 yards into a slight wind, and her fairway metal never left its target.
“That is so nice,” Day said as Ko’s shot was in the air.