England’s Charley Hull and playing partner Michael Brennan sit one shot off the lead going into the final round of the Grant Thornton Invitational mixed-team event.
American Lauren Coughlin holed a bunker shot for eagle on the par-5 17th hole, as she and Andrew Novak teamed for a stout 4-under 68 in foursomes to build a one-shot lead after two rounds.
They were at 19-under and lead by one shot over Hull and Brennan, who were poised to share the lead until a three-putt bogey on the final hole when Hull lipped out from just outside three feet.
“We played pretty steady,” Hull said afterwards.
“It was a shame I missed that short putt at the last, but it’s obviously a harder format, foursomes. We played decent today.
“It’s just easy going [playing with Brennan]. “I really, really enjoy his game. I like the way he is and his game’s great. Like I’ll definitely be sitting down watching the PGA Tour more now to see how he gets on.
“He’s got all the shots, I think he’ll win more.”
Hull and Brennan were set for a share of the lead until a late bogey
Lexi Thompson and Wyndham Clark are two shots behind the leaders after finishing with eight straight pars for a 72.
The final round is modified fourballs. Each player tees off, then they switch golf balls and stick with that ball the rest of the way, with the low score counting.
It should lead to lower scoring, although the Canadian duo of Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners did their part in the more difficult foursomes. They managed seven birdies and briefly shared the lead until a bogey on the 18th.
That left them three shots behind, along with Nelly Korda and Denny McCarthy (70) and Jennifer Kupcho and Chris Gotterup (70).
The Kupcho-Gotterup and Coughlin-Novak teams each made double bogey on the par-5 14th. Coughlin helped her side recover when she holed out from the right bunker on the 17th.
What is the Grant Thornton Invitational?
The 54-hole competition is a mixed-team event that sees 16 LPGA Tour and 16 PGA Tour professionals compete together in a unique co-sanctioned tournament.
The three-day tournament offers three different formats of team play and allows the 32-player field to compete for equal prize money and visibility.
It is the second successive year the tournament has featured on the schedule, having been launched in 2023 as the first co-sanctioned event between the LPGA Tour and PGA Tour since the JCPenney Classic in 1999.
Watch the Grant Thornton Invitational throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage from the final round starts on Sunday from 6pm on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the PGA Tour and more with NOW.
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