The trend of continuing to balance everything between men and women moves on, and the sport celebrates it. Now it is the turn of the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour. As in other circuits, the main tours of the United States determined to take an important step toward the growth of mixed golf.

A few days ago, both tours announced a mixed tournament in December, in Naples, Florida, on the date traditionally reserved for the “Shark Shootout.” It will have a bag of 4 million dollars in a contest called “Grant Thornton Invitational.” It will take place from the 8th to the 10th of the last month of the year at the mythical Tiburon Golf Club, which has two courses designed by the Australian Greg Norman.

The format of the competition has yet to be defined, but it is expected to be in 16 mixed teams.

“By joining forces with the PGA Tour to host a mixed event where the top male and female golfers in the world compete alongside each other, we’re going to deliver a memorable and entertaining experience for all golf fans, showcasing our players’ incredible skills in a new context to a new audience,” LPGA Tour Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan said to the press.

It is worth noting that it will be the first completely mixed event in almost 25 years in the United States since the last edition of the JC Penney Classic was held in 1999. On that occasion, the duo John Daly and Laura Davies triumphed at the Innisbrook Resort in Florida.

Recent history of mixed tournaments

Last year, the ISPS Handa Australian Open had the simultaneous participation of men and women, playing on the same courses (Victoria Golf Club & Kingston Heath Golf Club) but with leaderboards for each category.

Meanwhile, the DP World Tour held a tournament on its official calendar in 2022 with men and women called the Scandinavian Mixed tournament. It was won by Linn Grant of Sweden, who became the first woman to win a DP World Tour title. Something to take note of: the participants played from different starting tees.

It is worth noting that in 2019 the Jordan Mixed Open was held with professional golfers from the Challenge Tour, the European Senior Tour, and the Ladies European Tour. The tournament was played for the only time at Ayla Golf Club, Aqaba, and was attended by 120 players (40 for each tour).

“As we look to capitalize on the growing interest in the game of golf, the addition of a mixed event to the calendar has been a priority,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said to the press.

This is how things are in an increasingly globalized world that seeks to continue offering opportunities and equality for everyone.

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