“I really hope this is something that continues for a long time” - Lydia Ko wants mixed team event at Grant Thornton Invitational to persist

Lydia Ko and Jason Day emerged victorious in the first Grant Thornton Invitational, a mixed team event that saw PGA and LPGA players combine to make for an epic weekend of golf. It was a pretty monumental occasion for the sport, and it's something many hope sticks around.

LIV Golf has team golf, but this was a different sort of game. Male and female golfers were on one team and they competed as a team. It was a new format for the sport, and Ko is among the ones who hope it becomes a regular thing.

Ko said (via Nine) that she learned a lot about her game from the event, which will be beneficial for her. She hopes it keeps going:

"I learned a lot – whether it was short-sided chips or just how to commit and hit bombs down there. I think this has just been a great start for the two tours coming together and having a mixed event, and I really hope this is something that continues for a long time."

Lydia Ko thinks that the event was good for a number of reasons, including that PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players alike were both there to grow the game and not so much for the money or trophy. Those are nice benefits, but the players involved knew it was about more than that.

Day echoed that sentiment:

"I don't think I've seen so many female junior golfers out at an event, especially a PGA Tour event, as I did see them this week. This is something that I think we have to keep striving towards. To have the partnership between the two tours and to have the tournament going on, and the way (tournament organisers) put the show on, I think they really, really nailed it this week."

He added:

"I know that Lydia has talked about growing the game, and you can just see how many young kids are out there watching the game, which is fantastic. This is something that we can look forward to each and every year, and I hope we keep this going for as long as we can."

It was a rousing success and it would be a surprise to see the governing bodies forego a return to this format in the future.

---

Jason Day, Lydia Ko emerge victorious at Grant Thornton

The aforementioned duo ended up winning, but it wasn't exactly a dominant, relaxing win. The final stroke difference was a single stroke. They ended up -26 and the team comprising Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson was -25. In fact, just five strokes separated the winners and the eighth place team.

Lydia Ko and Jason Day won the tournament

Nevertheless, Jason Day had supreme confidence in his partner and knew she'd carry him to victory at the end:

"It felt like the most stress-free win because I just knew (Ko) was going to step up in the end, which was fantastic. It was a fun week. I think having the two tours join this week was a fun way to finish the year out."