Andrew Novak made three straight birdies on the back nine and Lauren Coughlin finished off their 9-under 63 in modified fourballs for a three-shot victory Sunday in the Grant Thornton Invitational. It’s the second team title this year for Novak, who’s building quite the reputation in partner formats.
The duo faced strong pressure primarily from Chris Gotterup and Jennifer Kupcho until the par-5 17th at Tiburon Golf Club proved decisive.
Gotterup and Kupcho both missed the green in tough spots and had to scramble for par. Playing in the final group right behind them, Novak stepped up and poured in a 6-foot birdie putt that gave them a two-shot cushion heading to the final hole.
Coughlin’s birdie putt helped them set a tournament record at 28-under 188.
They finished three ahead of three teams: Gotterup and Kupcho (63), Denny McCarthy and Nelly Korda (63), and Michael Brennan and Charley Hull (65).
Novak also won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with Ben Griffin earlier this year, the only team event on the PGA Tour. He jokingly called winning both the “modern day grand slam” of team golf.
The tournament remained tight throughout the final round. Novak didn’t get a sense of just how close it was until spotting a leaderboard on the 13th green.
“We had more holes than anyone else,” he said, recognizing their advantage of having more birdie chances down the stretch than their competitors.
That’s when Novak caught fire, holing a 7-foot birdie putt on the 13th, followed by a pair of 10-foot birdie putts on the 14th and 15th. His birdie on 17 effectively clinched the victory.
In modified fourballs, both players hit tee shots, then play the other’s golf ball the rest of the way with the low score counting on the card. The format rewards teams who can adapt to each other’s playing styles.
Novak and Coughlin each earned $500,000 for the win. It’s the largest paycheck for Coughlin, who won twice on the LPGA last year and continues to build her impressive resume.
Korda missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that would have given her and McCarthy a little hope, and at worst put them alone in second. Korda gets one more chance at winning this year, teaming with her father next week in the PNC Championship.
