The inaugural TGL championship series began with a thrilling match on Monday night, pitting Atlanta Drive Golf Club against New York Golf Club for the coveted SoFi Cup in a best-of-three showdown.
Atlanta Drive GC, entering as the third seed, advanced to the championship by defeating The Bay Golf Club. New York GC, seeded fourth, caused an upset by overcoming top-seed Los Angeles GC in the semi-finals.
Representing Atlanta were golf stars Justin Thomas, Billy Horschel, and Patrick Cantlay, while Lucas Glover sat out. New York`s team featured Cameron Young, Rickie Fowler, and Xander Schauffele, with Matt Fitzpatrick being inactive.
In a closely contested match that went down to the wire, Atlanta triumphed over New York with a score of 6-5.
Here`s a look at the key moments from Monday night`s exciting competition.
Opening Drives by Young and Thomas
The championship match teed off with impressive drives on Hole 1 from New York`s Cameron Young and Atlanta`s Justin Thomas, hitting 330 and 338 yards respectively. The hole concluded in a draw.
Near Hole-in-Ones from Cantlay and Schauffele
Spectators were on the edge of their seats as Patrick Cantlay of Atlanta nearly scored a hole-in-one on Hole 3, potentially extending Atlanta`s early lead. Moments later, Xander Schauffele of New York responded with an equally impressive shot, creating an opportunity for New York to level the score. Cantlay`s ball stopped just two feet from the hole, while Schauffele`s landed a mere three feet away.
Fowler`s Close Chip Shot
Rickie Fowler of New York almost applied significant pressure to Atlanta in the final hole of triples. On New York`s third shot on Hole 9, Fowler`s chip shot from 50 feet nearly went in, which would have required Atlanta to sink a 28-foot putt to maintain a tied match at 2-2. Despite the near miss, landing three feet left of the hole, Atlanta secured the tie.
New York GC Takes a Two-Point Lead
A missed third shot by Justin Thomas on Hole 10 provided New York with the advantage they needed to take the lead late in the match. Capitalizing on the opportunity, New York doubled the stakes for the hole, and Cameron Young then successfully made a nine-foot putt, pushing New York ahead 4-2.
Horschel`s Crucial Putt
New York`s lead was short-lived. In a reversal of fortune on Hole 11, similar to Atlanta`s situation on Hole 10, it was New York facing pressure after a missed putt by Rickie Fowler on his third shot. Atlanta seized the moment, doubling the hole`s value, and Billy Horschel responded by sinking a clutch putt from nearly 12 feet, tying the match at 4-4.
NYGC Reclaims the Lead
New York continued to demonstrate their ability to capitalize on Atlanta`s errors on Hole 13. Following a missed seven-foot putt by Justin Thomas on his fourth shot, Cameron Young calmly sank a three-foot putt, putting New York back in the lead at 5-4.
Cantlay Clinches Victory for Atlanta
The final hole of the match was decided by near-identical six-foot putts from Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. Cantlay successfully made his putt, while Schauffele narrowly missed, securing a 6-5 victory for Atlanta.
