Grant Thornton Invitational: Patty Tavatanakit and Jake Knapp lead after day one of mixed team event

Patty Tavatanakit and Jake Knapp birdied the first nine holes and birdied late on their way to claiming a one-shot lead after the first day of the Grant Thornton Invitational.

The mixed team event featuring PGA and LPGA Tour stars uses three different formats over three rounds. In Friday's scramble format — in which both players shoot and choose the ball to use for the next shot — Tavatanakit and Knapp combined for a 14-under-par 58 at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida.

That was good enough to put them ahead of Jennifer Kupcho and Akshay Bhatia and Canadians Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners in a tie for second place at 13 under.

The second round will be played in foursomes (another hole) and the third round will be a modified four-ball, where both players go and switch balls for their second shot before playing the same ball to will it be pierced.

Maja Stark and JT Poston are three off the lead after an opening 61, with Sahith Theegala and Allisen Corpuz tied for fourth.

Three-time major winner Lydia Ko and former No. 1 Jason Day, who won last year's event, opened with 10-under 62 on Friday and are tied for sixth with Jeeno Thitikul and Tom Kim.

Further back are Lexi Thompson and Rickie Fowler, as well as women's world No. 1 Nelly Korda and Daniel Berger.

Tony Finau was supposed to be Korda's partner but withdrew while recovering from knee surgery, and Berger took his place.

Tavatanakit said after her and Knapp took the lead on the first day: “I feel like we kept it pretty cool, we talked about random things.

“I feel like I haven't played free golf like this in a while, so it's a really nice feeling. I feel really safe out there because I know I have a great partner.”

What is a Grant Thornton invitation?

The 54-hole tournament is a mixed team event where 16 LPGA Tour and 16 PGA Tour professionals compete against each other in a special 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 exposure.

This is the second consecutive year the tournament has appeared on the schedule, having launched in 2023 as the first co-sanctioned event between the LPGA Tour and the PGA Tour from JCPenney Classic in 1999.

Watch the Grant Thornton Invitational all week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the second round on Saturday starts on Friday from 7pm on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the PGA Tour and more with NOW.