Beyond the NCAA tournaments, March is also witnessing upsets in the TGL`s inaugural season.
The first-ever TGL season culminates in a best-of-three final series at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on Monday and Tuesday.
In the semifinals, fourth-seeded New York Golf Club surprisingly defeated top-seeded Los Angeles Golf Club with a 6-4 score. Simultaneously, No. 3 Atlanta Drive GC overcame No. 2 The Bay Golf Club 9-3 in the other semifinal match.
The SoFi Cup will be contested by New York Golf Club and Atlanta Drive GC on Monday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN+) and Tuesday (7 p.m., ESPN/ESPN+) as the indoor golf league`s season concludes.
Should the teams split the initial two matches, a decisive winner-take-all match is scheduled for Tuesday at 9 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN+).
Significant prize money is at stake, with the winning team`s golfers sharing $9 million from the $21 million season purse, while the runners-up will receive $4.5 million.
Finals Matchup: Atlanta Drive GC (5-1-0) against 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 Team Roster
Justin Thomas
Billy Horschel
Patrick Cantlay
Lucas Glover (will not participate in Match 1)
New York Golf Club Team Roster
Cameron Young
Rickie Fowler
Xander Schauffele
Matt Fitzpatrick (will not participate in Match 1)
Lineups for the second match will be announced after Monday`s competition.
Singles Matchups for Match 1
Thomas vs. Young
Horschel vs. Fowler
Cantlay vs. Schauffele
New York Golf Club aims to avenge a prior 4-0 defeat to Atlanta Drive GC on January 21, which marked the first shutout in TGL history.
In that initial match, Atlanta Drive secured two points in the nine-hole triples (alternate shot) format. Thomas extended the lead to 3-0 by winning a point against Young in singles on the 10th hole. Horschel sealed the match victory by gaining a fourth point against Fitzpatrick on the 11th hole.
Atlanta Drive GC demonstrated superior putting performance in their first encounter, making 65 feet of putts, including a 24-foot putt by Thomas on the fourth hole. Conversely, New York Golf Club only made 15 feet of putts in the first meeting.
Fitzpatrick commented after the first match, `We haven`t made a putt yet.`
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 among the spectators at the first match between the teams.
Atlanta Drive GC: Key Stats: Atlanta Drive GC has shown dominance in singles matches this season, leading the league with 23 points in these contests. Horschel is the league leader with eight singles points, and Thomas (5-0-5) and Glover (1-0-3) are the only TGL players without a singles loss this season.
Atlanta Drive GC is ranked second in TGL for strokes gained: ball striking and total putts made, while ranking fourth in driving accuracy (68.3%) and fifth in greens in regulation (63.3%).
Horschel`s Perspective: `J.T. is an inherently aggressive player, always pushing and attempting exceptional golf shots. His iron play is outstanding, and when it`s on form, which is frequent, it`s incredibly effective. And if his putting gets hot …`
Path to Victory: For Atlanta Drive GC to secure the inaugural SoFi Cup, they must maintain their strong singles play and strategic use of the `Hammer.` Each team starts a TGL match with three Hammers (which double the point value of a hole when used), usable once per hole during the nine triples and six singles matches.
Atlanta Drive GC has accumulated 13 points on holes where a Hammer was used, twice as many as any other TGL team. They have used the second-most Hammers (12) and lost the fewest (four).
New York Golf Club: Key Stats: In contrast to Atlanta Drive GC`s singles dominance, New York Golf Club`s strength lies in triples competition. NYGC has earned 17 points in the alternate-shot format, tied for second in TGL. They also rank second, behind The Bay Golf Club, with 15 triples holes won.
Driven by Young (317.6 yards) and Schauffele (328.1), New York Golf Club is second in average driver distance (317.6). They also hold second place in average driver ball speed (181 mph).
Schauffele`s Quote: `I don`t anticipate much trash talk from Pat; it’s usually one-sided when we`re together. However, Billy is hard to ignore on the course. Billy will be the vocal one; we need to prevent him from getting too energized, or he might dominate.`
Path to Victory: New York Golf Club needs to capitalize on their current momentum. After losing their first two matches, NYGC has a 3-0-1 record in their last four. During this period, they lead TGL in holes won, points earned, strokes gained: total and putting, and total putts made.
For success, New York Golf Club should secure early points in triples to build a lead before heading into singles, where Atlanta Drive GC has been particularly strong this season.
