NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Andrew Novak made three straight birdies on the back nine and Lauren Coughlin capped their 9-under 63 with modified four-balls for a three-stroke victory Sunday at the Grant Thornton Invitational, Novak's second team title this year.
They were challenged primarily by Chris Gotterup and Jennifer Kupcho until the par-5 17th at Tiburon Golf Club.
Gotterup and Kupcho both missed the greens in difficult situations and had to work hard to make par. Novak and Coughlin were in the final group behind them, and Novak hit a 6-foot birdie putt that gave them a two-stroke lead heading into the final hole.
Coughlin's birdie putt helped them set a tournament record of 28-under 188.
They finished three ahead of Gotterup and Kupcho (63), Denny McCarthy and Nelly Korda (63), and Michael Brennan and Charlie Hull (65).
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., tied for fifth place, five shots back of the winners.
Novak also won the Zurich Classic in New Orleans with Ben Griffin, the only team event on the PGA Tour. He jokingly said winning the mixed team title, combining PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players, would be a “modern-day Grand Slam.”
Novak said he didn't realize how close it was until he saw the leaderboard on the 13th green, and even then knew he and Coughlin had one advantage.
“We had more holes than anyone else,” he said, referring to the number of birdie chances on the stretch. Novak holed a 7-foot birdie putt on the 13th, followed by a pair of 10-foot birdie putts on the 14th and 15th and, in what was effectively the clincher, on the 17th.
In modified four-ball, both players hit their tee shots and then play the other's golf ball for the rest of the game, with a low score being recorded on the card.
Novak and Coughlin each earned US$500,000. It was the biggest honor for Coughlin, who won the LPGA twice last year.
Korda missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that would have given her and McCarthy some hope and, at worst, left them alone in second place. Korda will get another shot at victory this year by teaming with his father next week in the PNC Championship.
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