Patty Tavatanakit, Jake Knapp Lead Grant Thornton Invitational After 58 Scramble

UCLA teammates Jake Knapp and Patty Tavatanakit put on a show Friday at the Grant Thornton Invitational, lighting up Tiburon Golf Club with a sizzling 14-under 58 to grab the first-round lead.

The duo started hot and never cooled off, birdieing all nine holes on the front nine.

“Really chill,” Tavatanakit said with a smile. “Everything was going the way we hoped for. The timing, momentum-building moments were pretty good. We just kept on playing.”

This unique tournament pairs 16 teams of PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players, bringing the best of both tours together for some exciting mixed-team action.

Just one shot behind, Canadians Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners fired a 59, powered by two clutch eagles down the stretch. They’re tied with Akshay Bhatia and Jennifer Kupcho.

The UCLA connection between Knapp and Tavatanakit goes beyond just golf. Their team nickname “Rocco” comes from Rocco’s Tavern, a popular hangout near campus – where Knapp actually worked as a bouncer before making it to the PGA Tour.

After their red-hot front nine, they added some late fireworks. Knapp crushed a perfect approach to 5 feet on the par-5 17th for eagle, and Tavatanakit drained a 15-footer for birdie on 18 to grab the lead.

“I knew 9 under wasn’t going to be bad after nine holes,” Knapp said. “But after a couple pars to start the back nine, we had to make sure we kept giving ourselves chances.”

Both players know what it takes to win big. Knapp captured his first PGA Tour title at the Mexico Open, while Tavatanakit won a major at the ANA Inspiration as a rookie.

Maja Stark and J.T. Poston shot 61, tied with Sahith Theegala and Allisen Corpuz. Defending champs Lydia Ko and Jason Day posted 62, matching Atthaya Thitikul and Tom Kim – despite a rare scramble-format bogey on the third hole.

Thitikul is riding high after winning last month’s CME Group Tour Championship right here at Tiburon, along with the biggest prize in women’s golf – a cool $4 million.

The pressure ramps up Saturday when teams switch to alternate shot format, where partners take turns hitting the same ball. It’s probably the toughest test in team golf.