NAPLES, Fla. — Lauren Coughlin hit a bunker shot on the par-5 17th hole for eagle on Saturday, and she and Andrew Novak shot a four-under 68 and built a one-shot lead heading into the final round of the Grant Thornton Invitational.
Novak has a chance to win the team title again this year. He teamed up with Ben Griffin to win the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Grant Thornton is the only mixed team event.
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At 19-under 125, they led Charlie Hull and Michael Brennan by one stroke and were poised to share the lead until Hull lipped out from outside 3 feet on the final hole for a three-putt bogey. They fired 71 shots.
Lexi Thompson and Windham Clark made eight consecutive pars for a 72 and are two shots behind.
The final round is a modified four-ball game. Each player tees off, changes golf balls, continues with the remaining balls, and low scores are counted.
Grant Thornton Invitational 2025 – Round 2
Grant Thornton Invitational 2025: Modified four-ball tee times for final round, how to watch
Tee times and TV broadcast times for the second round of the mixed team event featuring modified four-ball on Saturday in Naples, Florida.
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Although the Canadian duo of Brooke Henderson and Corey Connors played a role in the more difficult foursome, it should lead to a drop in scoring. They made seven birdies and briefly shared the lead until a bogey on the 18th and a 67.
This puts him three shots behind Nelly Korda and Denny McCarthy (70) and Jennifer Kupcho and Chris Gotterup (70).
Kupcho Gotterup and Coughlin Novak each made double bogeys on the par-5 14th hole. Coughlin helped his team recover when he holed out from the right bunker on the 17th hole.
“Four birdies and one eagle. Really, really solid as an alternative shot,” Novak said.
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When asked how much he wanted to win, especially the Grant Thornton Invitational along with the Zurich Classic title, he responded with his usual matter-of-fact response.
“Some people, like Zurich, Grant Thornton, call this the modern-day Grand Slam,” Novak said. “Of course, tomorrow I’ll think a little bit about my legacy.”
Hull said he likes to be in the chase, and this week is no exception.
“Of course, it would have been nice to keep the lead and go into the final round,” she said. “But I think I’ll make a lot of birdies tomorrow.”
