March Madness isn`t the only place for bracket upsets this month. The first-ever TGL season culminates with a best-of-three championship series at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, this Monday and Tuesday.
In the semifinals, fourth-seeded New York Golf Club pulled off a surprise victory against top-seeded Los Angeles Golf Club (6-4). Meanwhile, No. 3 Atlanta Drive GC also caused an upset, defeating No. 2 The Bay Golf Club (9-3).
Now, New York Golf Club and Atlanta Drive GC are set to battle for the SoFi Cup. The matches are scheduled for Monday at 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2/ESPN+) and Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN/ESPN+), marking the end of the indoor golf league`s inaugural season.
If each team wins one of the first two matches, a decisive third match will be played on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET (ESPN/ESPN+).
There`s significant prize money at stake. The winning team`s golfers will share $9 million from the total season purse of $21 million, while the runner-up team will receive $4.5 million.
Finals Matchup: 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 needed)
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)
The lineups for the second match will be announced after Monday`s competition.
Singles Matches (Match 1)
- Thomas vs. Young
- Horschel vs. Fowler
- Cantlay vs. Schauffele
New York Golf Club aims to avenge a previous 4-0 defeat to Atlanta Drive GC from January 21, which was the first shutout in TGL history. In that match, Atlanta Drive gained two points in triples (alternate shot), and then Thomas and Horschel secured points in singles matches to clinch the win.
Atlanta Drive GC showed superior putting in their first encounter, making 65 feet of putts compared to New York Golf Club`s 15 feet.
Notable figures like Arthur M. Blank (owner of Atlanta Drive GC and Atlanta Falcons) and Steve Cohen (owner of New York Mets and NYGC), along with celebrities Ja Rule and J.R. Smith, were present at the teams` first match.
Atlanta Drive GC Stats: Atlanta Drive GC excels in singles matches, leading the league with 23 points. Billy Horschel is the top singles point scorer with eight points, and Justin Thomas and Lucas Glover are undefeated in singles this season.
Atlanta Drive GC is also highly ranked in strokes gained: ball striking and total putts made in the TGL. They are fourth in driving accuracy (68.3%) and fifth in greens in regulation (63.3%).
Quote from Horschel: `J.T. is a very aggressive player, always pushing to make great shots. His iron play is incredible, and when his putting is on, he`s very tough to beat.`
Key to Atlanta`s Success: To win the SoFi Cup, Atlanta Drive GC needs to maintain their strong singles performance and effectively use their `Hammer` strategy. The `Hammer` allows a team to double the point value on a hole once per hole during triples and singles matches. Atlanta Drive GC has gained a league-leading 13 points using Hammers and is efficient in their Hammer usage.
New York Golf Club Stats: New York Golf Club`s strength lies in triples competition, where they`ve earned 17 points, tied for second in the TGL. They also rank second in triples holes won.
With players like Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele, New York Golf Club is second in average driver distance (317.6 yards) and ball speed (181 mph).
Quote from Schauffele: `Billy will be the vocal one out there. We need to make sure he doesn`t get too energized or he might dominate.`
Key to New York`s Success: New York Golf Club needs to capitalize on their recent momentum, having gone 3-0-1 in their last four matches. They need to secure early points in triples to build a lead before heading into singles, where Atlanta Drive GC has been particularly strong.
Adrian Whitmore