March Madness isn`t the only place for bracket upsets this month.
The first TGL season wraps up with 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 surprisingly beat top-seeded Los Angeles Golf Club 6-4. Number 3 Atlanta Drive GC also pulled off an upset, defeating No. 2 The Bay Golf Club 9-3.
SoFi Cup Finals Matchup
New York Golf Club and Atlanta Drive GC will go head-to-head on Monday (9 PM ET, ESPN2/ESPN+) and Tuesday (7 PM ET, ESPN/ESPN+) for the SoFi Cup, concluding the indoor golf league`s inaugural season.
If each team wins one of the first two matches, a final, winner-take-all match will be played on Tuesday at 9 PM ET (ESPN/ESPN+).
Big money is at stake. The winning team`s golfers will split $9 million from the $21 million season prize pool, while the second-place team gets $4.5 million.
Finals: Atlanta Drive GC (5-1-0) vs. New York Golf Club (3-2-1)
Finals Schedule:
Monday: Match 1, 9 PM ET (ESPN2/ESPN+)
Tuesday: Match 2, 7 PM ET; Match 3, 9 PM 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 teams will announce their lineups for the second match after Monday`s match ends.
Singles Matches to Watch
Key singles matches include:
- Thomas vs. Young
- Horschel vs. Fowler
- Cantlay vs. Schauffele
Rematch of Previous Encounter
New York Golf Club will be looking to avenge a 4-0 shutout loss to Atlanta Drive GC from January 21, the first shutout in TGL history.
In that match, Atlanta Drive took an early lead in triples (alternate shot), and Justin Thomas extended it to 3-0 with a singles win against Cameron Young. Billy Horschel secured the match win by getting the fourth point against Matt Fitzpatrick.
Atlanta Drive GC`s putting was much stronger in the first match, making 65 feet of putts compared to New York Golf Club`s 15 feet.
Matt Fitzpatrick commented after the first match, “We haven`t made a putt yet.”
Team owners Arthur M. Blank (Atlanta Drive GC & Atlanta Falcons) and Steve Cohen (New York Mets & NYGC), along with rapper Ja Rule and former NBA player J.R. Smith, watched the first matchup.
Atlanta Drive GC: By the Numbers
Atlanta Drive GC has excelled in singles matches this season, leading the league with 23 points in those matchups. Billy Horschel is the league leader with eight singles points, and Justin Thomas (5-0-5) and Lucas Glover (1-0-3) are the only TGL players without a singles loss this season.
Atlanta Drive GC is second in TGL in strokes gained: ball striking and total putts made, and ranks fourth in driving accuracy (68.3%) and fifth in greens in regulation (63.3%).
What Horschel Says
“J.T. is a really aggressive player, always pushing hard, always trying for the great shot. He`s an incredible iron player, and when his iron game is on, which is most of the time, it`s incredibly good. And if his putter gets hot…”
Key to Atlanta`s Success
For Atlanta Drive GC to win the inaugural SoFi Cup, they need to keep up their strong singles play and use their “Hammer” wisely. Each team starts with three Hammers per match (allowing them to double the point value on a hole), usable once per hole during triples and singles matches.
Atlanta Drive GC has gained 13 points on Hammer holes, twice as many as any other TGL team. They`ve used the second-most Hammers (12) but lost the fewest (four).
New York Golf Club: By the Numbers
While Atlanta Drive GC has dominated in singles, New York Golf Club`s strength is in triples. NYGC has earned 17 points in alternate-shot format, tied for second in TGL. They also rank second to The Bay Golf Club in triples holes won (15).
With Cameron Young (317.6 yards) and Xander Schauffele (328.1 yards) leading the way, New York Golf Club is second in average driving distance (317.6 yards) and average driver ball speed (181 mph).
What Schauffele Says
“I don`t think Pat [Cantlay] is going to trash talk much, it`s usually one-way when we`re together. It`s hard not to hear Billy [Horschel] out there. Billy will be the talker; we can`t let him get too hyped up or he`ll run all over us.”
Key to New York`s Success
New York Golf Club needs to maintain their momentum. After losing their first two matches, NYGC is 3-0-1 in their last four. In this stretch, 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 create a buffer going into singles, where Atlanta Drive GC has been very strong this season.
