Tony Finau was scheduled to meet Nelly Korda at the Grant Thornton Invitational.
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When the Grant Thornton Invitational begins Friday morning in Florida, World No. 1 Nelly Korda will be playing a last-minute replacement partner.
The PGA Tour released a statement on Wednesday evening announcing that Tony Finau, Korda’s first partner in the mixed event, was forced to withdraw from the event less than 48 hours before its start due to injury recovery.
Finau also withdrew late from last week’s Hero World Challenge, sparking suspicions that he is leaving the PGA Tour to sign with LIV Golf, which he denied, revealing that he had recently undergone surgery on his left knee.
Nelly Korda is ranked among the 10 highest paid female athletes in 2024
Kevin Cunningham
Perhaps to prevent further rumours, the PGA Tour announcement included a statement from Finau explaining his decision to withdraw due to the continued recovery of his knee. Finau also commented that “playing with Nelly [Korda] in 2023 it was one of the highlights of my year,” he also thanked him for understanding why he had to withdraw.
He ended with a letter saying he was looking forward to “returning to the competition in the new year.”
You can read Finau’s statement in full below.
“I am disappointed to withdraw from the Grant Thornton Invitational as I continue to recover from my knee. Playing with Nelly in 2023 was one of the highlights of my year. I look forward to cheering him on this week and thank him for his support and understanding as I work towards full health. Thanks to my partner at Grant Thornton for supporting me and changing our game by combining the PGA Tour with the LPGA in Naples. I’m looking forward to getting back into the competition in the new year.”
Korda and Finau finished T4 in last year’s inaugural Grant Thornton with a total score of 23 under, three behind Lydia Ko and Jason Day’s winning score.
PGA Tour veteran Daniel Berger will replace Finau as Korda’s teammate.
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