March Madness isn`t the only place for bracket upsets this month.
The first TGL season culminates in a best-of-three championship series at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, this Monday and Tuesday.
In a stunning semifinal, fourth-seeded New York Golf Club defeated top-seeded Los Angeles Golf Club 6-4. Meanwhile, No. 3 Atlanta Drive GC overcame No. 2 The Bay Golf Club 9-3 in the other semifinal.
New York Golf Club and Atlanta Drive GC will face off for the SoFi Cup on Monday and Tuesday, concluding the indoor golf league`s inaugural season. Matches are scheduled for Monday at 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2/ESPN+) and Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN/ESPN+).
If each team wins one of the first two matches, a final, winner-take-all match will be played Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET (ESPN/ESPN+).
High stakes are involved, with the winning team`s golfers splitting $9 million from the $21 million season prize pool. The runners-up 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 in Match 1)
New York Golf Club Lineup
Cameron Young
Rickie Fowler
Xander Schauffele
Matt Fitzpatrick (not in Match 1)
Lineups for the second match will be announced after Monday`s game.
Singles Matchups for Match 1:
Thomas vs. Young
Horschel vs. Fowler
Cantlay vs. Schauffele
New York Golf Club aims to avenge a 4-0 shutout loss to Atlanta Drive GC from January 21, the first in TGL history.
In that match, Atlanta Drive gained two points in triples, and Thomas added a third against Young in singles. Horschel secured the win with a fourth point against Fitzpatrick.
Atlanta Drive GC excelled in putting in the first match, totaling 65 feet of putts, including a 24-footer by Thomas. New York Golf Club only made 15 feet of putts.
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 NBA champion J.R. Smith, watched the first encounter.
Atlanta Drive GC Stats: Atlanta Drive GC dominates singles matches, leading the league with 23 points. Horschel is the top singles scorer with eight points, and Thomas and Glover are undefeated in singles this season.
Atlanta Drive GC ranks second in strokes gained: ball striking and total putts made. They are fourth in driving accuracy (68.3%) and fifth in greens in regulation (63.3%).
Horschel`s Take: “J.T. is an aggressive player, always pushing to hit a great shot. His iron play is incredible and rarely off. When his putter is hot…”
Keys to Victory for Atlanta: To win the SoFi Cup, Atlanta Drive GC needs to maintain their singles dominance and use their `Hammer` strategically. Each team gets three `Hammers` per match to double the point value on a hole. Atlanta Drive GC has gained 13 points using Hammers, twice as many as any other TGL team.
New York Golf Club Stats: New York Golf Club`s strength lies in triples matches, earning 17 points in this format, tied for second in TGL. They are also second in triples holes won, behind The Bay Golf Club.
New York Golf Club is second in average driver distance (317.6 yards), led by Young and Schauffele, and second in ball speed (181 mph).
Schauffele`s Prediction: “Pat [Cantlay] isn`t much of a trash talker, but Billy [Horschel] is very vocal. We need to keep Billy from getting too hyped up.”
Keys to Victory for New York: New York Golf Club needs to maintain their recent momentum. After a slow start, they are 3-0-1 in their last four matches, leading TGL in holes won, points won, total strokes gained, putting, and putts made.
For success, New York needs to secure points in triples to build a lead going into singles, where Atlanta Drive GC has been strong all season.
Jasper Hawthorne