Patti Tavatanakit and Jake Knapp exuded confidence all week. Grant Thornton Invitational In Naples.
I had a feeling these two UCLA Bruins would win, especially after starting Friday's opening round with nine straight birdies in a scramble format. They inspired each other admirably throughout, complementing each other's games and finishing each round at the top of the leaderboard.
“I’m glad I was able to win the last event of the 2024 season,” said Tavatanakit.
“It's definitely going to feel good to have some time off, and to be able to do that with Jake was really fun and I couldn't have found a better partner.”
Knapp echoed similar sentiments.
“It's a great way to end the year before Christmas. At events like this you don't really know what your partner will be like unless you've met them before and you couldn't have asked for a better partner. I feel like we totally hit it off and we had the same energy. It was a really, really fun week.”
Knapp is five years older than Tavatanakit, even though they went to the same alma mater. Their paths did not cross at UCLA. They just met this week.
However, it seemed like they had known each other for years.
“There was definitely this connection, so I called her early, at 6pm, and I said, 'Same time next year,' and she said, 'It's not over yet.' But hopefully I'll be playing next year as well. I can tell you that,” Knapp said.
“I think you build camaraderie, especially in this sport. It's a very small community. Everyone knows each other. It's nice to be able to make close friends again.”
On Feb. 25, nearly 10 months before Sunday's victory in South Florida, Knapp and Tavatanakit won on the PGA Tour and LPGA, respectively.
Knapp won the Mexican Open, earning him the first title of his career. Tabatanakit won the Honda LPGA Thailand held in his home country.
“I always knew that. I just didn't tell him. I didn't want to create a jinx,” Tabatanakit said.
“I was about to mention that. [on Saturday]but I was like, well, I'm going to wait. ”
She was good.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
