NAPLES, Fla. — UCLA alums Jake Knapp and Patty Tavatanakit birdied the entire front nine in a scramble on Friday to end An eagle birdie led to a 14-under 58, giving them a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Grantham Tonton Invitational.
The event features 16 two-person teams from the PGA Tour and LPGA and is the second year of the mixed team format.
Canadian pair Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners narrowly missed a birdie with a pair of eagles on the 18th hole at Tiburon Golf Club. They had to settle for 59 with Akshay Bhatia and Jennifer Kupcho.
Knapp and Tawatanakit have a natural connection as they both played several years for the UCLA Bruins. Their team name is “Rocco” – Knapp briefly worked as a bouncer before joining the PGA Tour, and Rocco's Tavern is a popular spot for UCLA students in Westwood.
“It was really cold,” Tavatanakit said, describing the day. “I felt like everything was going the way we wanted it to go. The timing, the moments to build momentum were really good. We just kept playing.”
They cooled off a bit after opening with nine birdies. Knapp hit a towering shot from about 5 feet for eagle on the par-5 17th hole, and Tawatanakit made a birdie putt from about 15 feet on the 18th hole. Get ahead.
“I knew after nine holes, 9 under wouldn't be a bad score,” Knapp said. “But a couple of pars from the back nine it was like, 'OK, let's make sure we try to keep giving ourselves a chance.'” It's always nice to be able to finish an eagle-birdie match.
Knapp won his first PGA Tour title at the Mexican Open. Tavatanakit won her first major as a rookie, the ANA Inspiration.
Maja Stark and JT Poston shot 61, joined by Sahith Theegala and Allisen Corpuz. Defending champions Lydia Ko and Jason Day shot 62, along with Jeeno Thitikul and Tom Kim. Ko and Day were slowed by a bogey on the third hole, a rarity for the scramble format.
Thitikul won the CME Group Tour title at Tiburon last month and received $4 million in prize money, the largest purse in women's golf.
Saturday's format changed to foursomes, the toughest format because there is only one golf ball and teammates take turns hitting the ball.
Source link
