Sahith Theegala and Rose Zhang will partner at Grant Thornton Invitational in Naples
Sahith Theegala and Rose Zhang are the latest team committed to play in the Grant Thornton Invitational, which will debut in December as part of the Challenge Season.
The event, which replaces the QBE Shootout, will feature a 32-player field of 16 PGA Tour and 16 LPGA players competing for a $4 million purse. The three-day tournament is set for Dec. 8-10 at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples and will be televised by NBC and Golf Channel.
Theegala, 25, teamed with Tom Hoge to win the 2022 QBE Shootout, coming from two down in the final round to edge Ryan Palmer and Charley Hoffman.
This season, Theegala has seven Top 10 finishes in 28 PGA TOUR events. That includes a ninth-place finish at the Masters Tournament. Most recently, he tied for 15th place at last month's BMW Championship in Olympia Fields, Ill.
The 20-year-old Zhang has taken the LPGA TOUR by storm since starting her pro career with a win at the Mizuho Americas Open in June. Zhang, who won two national championships while playing at Stanford as well as the 2023 August National Women's Amateur title, has three other Top 10 finishes so far this season including a ninth-place tie at the U.S. Women's Open in July.
Theegala and Zhang are the fourth team pairing announced for the Grant Thornton Invitational, joining Nelly Korda and Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler and Jessica Korda and Canadian golfers Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson.
The QBE Shootout, founded in 1989 by Greg Norman, had been played in Naples since 2001. Last year, Nelly Korda joined Lexi Thompson as the only women competing in the QBE. Korda tied for fifth with her partner, Denny McCarthy. Lexi and partner Maverick McNealy tied for 10th.
The 2022 QBE was the first one Norman did not host or play in since its inception. Last September, Norman wrote in an Instagram post he was asked not to attend the tournament because of his involvement with LIV Golf.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit grantthorntoninvitational.com.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Grant Thornton: Sahith Theegala, Rose Zhang to team up for event
