The 2023 Grant Thornton Invitational was a memorable experience for young star Ludvig Aberg, who played alongside Madelene Sagstrom. The tournament was held between December 4 to 10 at the Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Florida. The Grant Thornton Invitational is the first mixed team pro golf event co-sanctioned by the PGA and LPGA Tours since 1999.
The tournament was won by Jason Day and Lydia Ko who finished at 26 under 190, followed by Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners in second place. Aberg and Sagstrom finished in third place, two strokes behind the winners. The Swedish duo put up a tough fight until the last day and enjoyed the mixed-team format.
Ludvig Aberg stated that he enjoyed playing with Madelene Sagstrom since it was a new experience for him. Speaking about the event, Aberg said via the LPGA Tour on X (formerly Twitter):
"I realize that the women's golf is really really good. For me, it was just a really fun week and I would love to do it again."
The all-Swedish team made quite the splash during the final round of the tournament. They posted a score of 12 under 60, the lowest of the round. This allowed them to jump from ninth place to third, and their teamwork was a great success.
Speaking about his partner Sagstrom, Ludvig Aberg added (via LPGA Tour):
“I thought it was great. Obviously, the format is a lot of fun,” said Aberg. “Playing with Madelene is a lot of fun, as well. She's a tremendous golfer and ball striker, so it's been a pleasure.”
Madelene Sagstrom praises Ludvig Aberg after Grant Thornton Invitational performance
The 31-year-old Madelene Sagstrom quite enjoyed the mixing up of PGA and LPGA Tour players for a match of pro golf. Sagstrom was all praises for Aberg, especially after they managed to climb their way to the top 3.
Sagstrom said via the LPGA Tour:
"I've been driving the ball fairly well this week, so I knew I was going to keep him in play from the tee, and then he's such a great golfer so I knew we were going to have a lot of chances."
More importantly for Sagstrom, this event was a positive platform to showcase the talents of the LPGA Tour players, especially when compared to their male counterparts.