Fantasy Golf Predictions

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2025 Grant Thornton Invitational

Published

5 months ago

December 9, 2025

Golficity

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Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2025 Grant Thornton Invitational

2025 Grant Thornton Invitational Fantasy Preview

Although Hideki Matsuyama perhaps won’t look back on 2025 with much fondness, he can at least reflect on a remarkable symmetry that saw him win the first and last singles events of the year.

The Japanese ace won The Sentry way back at the start of January; signalling, no doubt, what he would have hoped to have been a stellar year ahead.

But then, well, nothing: Matsuyama failed to record a single top-ten finish on the PGA TOUR otherwise.

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Until, that is, the Hero World Challenge, where a stellar final round of 64 saw him into a playoff against the resurgent Alex Noren, who at the age of 43 is playing some of the best golf of his career.

But it was Matsuyama who grasped the nettle, stiffing his approach to the replayed eighteenth to less than 3ft; forcing Noren to hole out from 26ft.

The Swede couldn’t oblige, so it was Matsuyama that was left to celebrate wins that bookended his 2025. The less said about the middle bit, the better.

And so here we are: the final PGA TOUR correlated event of the year. The Grant Thornton Invitational partners PGA TOUR pros with a counterpart from the LPGA Tour, who then go into battle over three days of mixed format pairs golf.

The 2025 Grant Thornton Invitational Field

Ten major champions and 137 combined PGA TOUR or LPGA Tour victories… it’s a strong field heading to Naples in Florida.

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All told, 16 pairs will battle it out for a prize purse worth $4 million:

Jake Knapp & Patty Tavatanakit – defending champions
Jason Day & Lydia Ko – 2023 champions
Tony Finau & Lilia Vu
Denny McCarthy & Nelly Korda
Bud Cauley & Jessica Korda
Corey Conners & Brooke Henderson
Billy Horschel & Andrea Lee
Michael Brennan & Charley Hull
Luke Clanton & Lottie Woad
Wyndham Clark & Lexi Thompson
Chris Gotterup & Jennifer Kupcho
Michael Kim & Rose Zhang
Neal Shipley & Maya Stark
Tom Hoge & Angel Yin
Keith Mitchell & Megan Khang

This Week’s Course Preview

Tiburon Golf Club hosts the Grant Thornton and welcomed the QBE Shootout, which was its pairs forerunner on the PGA TOUR.

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Tiburon means ‘shark’ in Spanish, so you might not be shocked to learn that Greg ‘The Great White’ Norman was on design duties for both the Gold and Black courses.

It’s the Gold layout that we’re interested in this week, a Par 72 stretch that plays 7,382 yards off the men’s tees and 6,595 yards off the women’s.

A nice slice of Florida golfing real estate it is too; perfectly green, picturesque, and with some lovely water hazards to boot.

But it’s an easy golf course, one designed for exhibition events like the Grant Thornton Invitational. The landing zones off the tee are expansive, and the greens a generous size. In fact, avoiding the plentiful bunkers and lakes is, for the most part, a doddle.

The scramble and four-balls format lends itself to low scoring anyway, but the Gold Course plays its part too: in fact, all 18 holes averaged under par here in 2024, with only three bogeys made at the quartet of Par 5s all tournament long… and they all came at the very first hole.

Make birdies or make your own way home is very much the theme at Tiburon Golf Club…

Weather Forecast for Naples, FL

Remember, the Grant Thornton Invitational is played over three days: Friday through Sunday.

The opening two days of play should unfold in standard Florida conditions: sunny, warm (around 78 degrees), and with a steady but consistent breeze.

And then Friday, well, we’ll have to wait and see. The early forecast is for dark cloud and considerable rain showers, with a wind speed of 10mph or higher.

Not ideal, then, for the last round of PGA TOUR affiliated golf in 2025…

Last Year’s Results

Breaking 60 in the opening round of the Grant Thornton is not uncommon: the better ball, scramble format lending itself to low scoring.

Jake Knapp and Patty Tavatanakit shot the lowest round on Friday last year – an outstanding 58, and then they kicked on from there.

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Their Saturday effort of 66 was the second best of the day, which meant that they held a two-shot cushion to Tom Kim and Jeeno Thitikul heading into the final round.

The modified four-ball format on Sunday – both players tee off and then swap balls – is certainly interesting, with Knapp and Tavatanakit doing just about enough to hold onto their lead; birdies at 16 and 17 just keeping them clear of the fast finishing Kim and Thitikul, who played their back nine in 31 shots.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for this Week’s the 2025 Grant Thornton Invitational

Here it is: our last chance to play DFS golf for a PGA TOUR adjacent event in 2025.

Given the nature of the tournament, it’s single entry contests all the way as we look to sign off on the year on a high.

PGA TOUR $2k Caddie: With a small field of 475 teams, this $5 contest offers plenty of scope and a top prize of $200.

PGA TOUR $5k Long Drive: If you have a bigger budget to work with, how about this $100 contest? You’ll be competing against just 54 other teams in a bid for the $1,100 jackpot.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the 2025 Grant Thornton Invitational

It’s an interesting week for DFS gamers, with the format of the tournament likely to lead our picking strategy.

Day one sees a modified scramble format. Both players tee off, with the best ball chosen. This can then be dropped a club length away, creating the premium approach opportunity – breaking 60 is not uncommon at all here.

Day two is foursomes golf, which the players taking alternate tee shots and taking it in turns thereafter. Generally, this is the toughest – but still easy – day of scoring.

Day three is modified four balls, with both players teeing off before switching balls for the remainder of the hole.

Each of these formats lends itself to high quality tee shots, so that has to be the focus of our drafts this week.

Consider the Florida angle, too. The 2023 champions, Jason Day and Lydia Ko, have either lived or continue to live in the state, while Jake Knapp shot a round of 59 at the 2025 Cognizant Classic at Florida’s PGA National.

Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the 2025 Grant Thornton Invitational

Top Tier Pick # 1

Corey Conners (Odds: 6/1, FPPG: 69.6, Salary: $9,900)

(with Brooke Henderson)

This is one of the few pairs in the event that have recent form in the bank, as well as a strong history in the event.

Corey Conners finished seventh at the Hero World Challenge, where he ranked third for ball striking and closed out with a Sunday 65… only Matsuyama and Noren went lower.

Brooke Henderson was last seen finishing seventh in the LPGA Tour Championship, which is also played at Tiburon, to cap another fine year – she won her home Canadian Open in 2025, too.

Henderson is one of the best drivers in women’s golf, which these formats lend themselves too, and in six rounds of action in the Grant Thornton, she and Conners have posted scores of 59, 59, 62, and 63 in second and fourth place finishes.

Can they finally get their hands on the trophy in 2025?

Key Stats:

SG: Off-the-Tee – 24th
SG: Approach – 39th
Total Birdies – 68th

Top Tier Pick #2

Michael Brennan (Odds: 8/1, FPPG:, Salary: $9,300)

(with Charley Hull)

At this precise moment in time, Charley Hull has scored an upgrade in partner from Daniel Berger to Michael Brennan.

Berger is a classy ball-striker with plenty of Florida form, but his game is not where he’d like it to be right now.

He’s withdrawn and been replaced by Michael Brennan, who has taken to life on the PGA TOUR with ease after winning the Bank of Utah Championship. He’s long and straight off the tee, hits beautiful wedges, and – with four wins to his name in 2025 – knows how to take care of business.

In Charley Hull, he has an outstanding partner. She won on the LPGA Tour this year, has won at Tiburon before, and also happens to be one of the best drivers in women’s golf.

Key Stats:

Mid-Tier Pick #1

Keith Mitchell (Odds: 16/1, FPPG: 71.8 Salary: $7,800)

(with Megan Khang)

A winner of the Honda Classic and top-five at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Keith Mitchell loves golf in the Sunshine State.

Returning to Florida is timely for Mitchell, who signed off on his PGA TOUR season with t10 at the Baycurrent Classic and T18 at the RSM Classic.

His ball striking remains phenomenal, and the low missed green count at Tiburon – allied to Megan Khang hitting some of his putts for him – suggests that Mitchell can have three strong days in the state he loves.

Khang has finished T4 with Denny McCarthy and T9 with Matt Kuchar in this event… perhaps lightning will strike thrice with Mitchell on board?

Key Stats:

Birdie Average – 6th
SG: Off the Tee – 13th
Greens in Regulation – 19th

Mid-Tier Pick #2

Billy Horschel (Odds: 16/1, FPPG: 60.7, Salary: $7,100)

(with Andrea Lee)

Although the Hero World Challenge didn’t go according to plan for Billy Horschel, we’re hoping that a switch to the pairs format he loves will spark a late season revival.

The Floridan is a former QBE Shootout runner up at Tiburon alongside Sam Burns, and he won the Zurich Classic alongside Scott Piercy.

Andrea Lee, meanwhile, is a big time player, finishing T30 or better in all five majors in 2025 – including T5 at the Evian Championship. She finished T7 in this last event last year alongside Max Greyserman.

Key Stats:

Low-Tier Pick

Neal Shipley (Odds: 20/1, FPPG: 68.6, Salary: $6,800)

(with Maja Stark)

We’ve mentioned many times the idea of backing players whose careers are on the up.

And that certainly applies to Neal Shipley, who won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2025 to earn his promotion to the PGA TOUR.

Some excellent judges believe Shipley is the real deal, and his happy-go-lucky nature should vibe nicely in this glorified exhibition.

He couldn’t wish for a better partner too in Maja Stark, the world number 15 who won the U.S. Open earlier this year.

Key Stats:

Sleeper Pick for the 2025 Grant Thornton Invitational

Tom Hoge (Odds: 22/1, FPPG: 57.3, Salary: $6,500)

(with Angel Yin)

Could having one of the best players in women’s golf spark a revival in Tom Hoge this week?

His best work has eluded him of late, but we’re loathe to give up on a player who is genuinely world class with irons and wedges in hand – a run of 3-5-14 at the PLAYERS Championship, Texas Open, and The Masters earlier this year is testament to that.

Hoge’s approach play numbers have started to show a revival, so the hope is that he can set up plenty of birdie looks for Angel Yin, a former runner-up at Tiburon in the LPGA Tour Championship.

Ranked tenth in the world, Yin won on the LPGA Tour earlier this year and remains a premier performer.

Key Stats:

Putts Per Round – 18th
SG: Approach – 41st
Total Birdies – 42nd

Alternative Sleeper Pick for the 2025 Grant Thornton Invitational

Tony Finau (Odds: 25/1, FPPG: 58.6, Salary: $6,200)

(with Lilia Vu)

Quite what ails Tony Finau only he knows.

But we’re not going to give up on a six-time PGA TOUR winner who has, at times, been amongst the best tee-to-green talents on the planet.

There’s been some good golf from Finau in 2025, just not enough of it – perhaps the relaxed nature of this event, or the change in format, will spark a player who is, without question, one of the very best in this field.

It’s a similar tale for Lilia Vu, a two-time major champion who has not had a good year. Nevertheless, could these two world-class talents deliver on their tremendous upside this week?

Key Stats: