March is not just about NCAA tournament upsets. The first ever TGL season culminates in a best-of-three championship series at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on Monday and Tuesday.
In the semifinals last week, fourth-seeded New York Golf Club surprised top-seeded Los Angeles Golf Club with a 6-4 victory, while No. 3 Atlanta Drive GC defeated No. 2 The Bay Golf Club 9-3 in the other match.
New York Golf Club and Atlanta Drive GC are set to battle for the SoFi Cup on Monday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN+) and Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+), marking the end of the indoor golf league`s inaugural season.
Should each team win one of the first two matches, a decisive third match will be played at 9 p.m. on Tuesday (ESPN/ESPN+) to determine the champion.
The stakes are high, with the winning team`s golfers sharing $9 million from the $21 million season-long prize pool, and the runners-up taking home $4.5 million.
Finals: Atlanta Drive GC (5-1-0) vs. New York Golf Club (3-2-1)
Finals schedule:
Monday: Match 1, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2/ESPN+)
Tuesday: Match 2, 7 p.m. ET; Match 3, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN/ESPN+) (if necessary)
Atlanta Drive GC lineup
Justin Thomas
Billy Horschel
Patrick Cantlay
Lucas Glover (not playing in Match 1)
New York Golf Club lineup
Cameron Young
Rickie Fowler
Xander Schauffele
Matt Fitzpatrick (not playing in Match 1)
Lineups for the second match will be announced after Monday`s competition.
Singles matches
Thomas vs. Young
Horschel vs. Fowler
Cantlay vs. Schauffele
New York Golf Club aims to avenge a 4-0 defeat to Atlanta Drive GC from January 21, the first shutout in TGL history.
After Atlanta Drive earned two points in nine holes of triples (alternate shot), Thomas extended the lead to 3-0 by winning a point against Young on the 10th singles hole. Horschel secured the match victory by taking a fourth point against Fitzpatrick on the 11th hole.
Atlanta Drive GC excelled on the greens in their first encounter, making 65 feet of putts, including a 24-footer from Thomas on the fourth hole. In contrast, New York Golf Club only made 15 feet of putts in the first match.
`We haven`t made a putt yet,` Fitzpatrick commented that night.
Arthur M. Blank, owner of Atlanta Drive GC and the Atlanta Falcons, and Steve Cohen, owner of New York Mets and NYGC, along with rapper Ja Rule and two-time NBA champion J.R. Smith, were all in attendance for the first match between the teams.
Atlanta Drive GC by the numbers: Atlanta Drive GC has shown strength in singles matches this season, leading the league with 23 points in these matchups. Horschel tops the league with eight singles points, while Thomas (5-0-5) and Glover (1-0-3) remain undefeated in singles this season in TGL.
Atlanta Drive GC is ranked second in TGL for strokes gained: ball striking and total putts made, and fourth in driving accuracy (68.3%) and fifth in greens in regulation (63.3%).
What Horschel says: `J.T. is an aggressive player, always pushing for the best shot. His iron play is exceptional and consistently strong. And when his putting is on form…`
Key to success: For Atlanta Drive GC to secure the inaugural SoFi Cup, they must maintain their dominance in singles and utilize the `Hammer` effectively. Each team starts with three Hammers per match (allowing a point value increase on a hole), usable once per hole during triples and singles matches.
Atlanta Drive GC has accumulated 13 points on holes where a Hammer was used, double that of any other TGL team, while also having the second-fewest Hammers lost (four) despite using the second-most Hammers (12).
New York Golf Club by the numbers: While Atlanta Drive GC has excelled in singles, New York Golf Club`s strength lies in triples competition. NYGC has earned 17 points in alternate-shot format, tied for second in TGL, and ranks second behind The Bay Golf Club with 15 triples holes won.
With Young (317.6 yards) and Schauffele (328.1) leading the way, New York Golf Club is second in average driver distance (317.6) and average driver ball speed (181 mph).
What Schauffele says: `Pat isn`t much for trash talk, it`s usually one-sided when we`re together. And Billy is hard to miss out there. If Billy gets too hyped, watch out.`
Key to success: New York Golf Club needs to maintain their current momentum. After losing their first two matches, NYGC is 3-0-1 in their last four. During this run, they lead TGL in holes won, points won, strokes gained: total and putting, and total putts made.
New York Golf Club needs to secure some points in triples to build a lead going into singles, where Atlanta Drive GC has been strong this season.
