Palm Beach Gardens, Florida – At the intermission of Match 2 of the TGL Finals at SoFi Center, the Atlanta Drive trailed 2-0. Missed opportunities on the green was the story of the first 9 holes (triples), but Atlanta had been in this position before, and knew with a fist full of hammers, things could change quickly. Armed with all 3 hammers and six holes of singles to play, Atlanta was in good shape despite the small deficit. After all, they were the best singles team in the league.
It was Xander vs JT to open up the singles play after the break at the par 5 tenth, and NY wasted no time jumping out to a 3-0 lead when JT missed his birdie roll, Xander made his to put the Dirty Birds in an even deeper deficit, but having those hammers in hand put New York at a distinct disadvantage with five holes left to play – they wouldn’t score again.
Starting with the 174-yard par-3 twelfth, Atlanta began to employ their advantage, and quickly the tide turned. Young hit his tee shot to 16 feet, and Cantlay hitting a superb shot that spun his back off the ridge to 4 feet. Hammer thrown by Atlanta, NY declined, and Atlanta was on the board 3-1.
Trailing at 3-2 on the par 3 fourteenth, you could feel the intensity inside the SoFi Center. The batting order called for Fowler vs Horschel. Billy Ho teed off first and hit the green 17 feet above the hole (not a high percentage putt), Fowler came up just short – finding the front bunker (but a makeable up and down). Would Atlanta throw the Hammer, it seemed risky, but they were running out of holes, and JT knew the read on Horschel’s putt. He liked their position despite the low-odds of Horschel making that putt . . . hammer thrown by Team Captain Justin Thomas. Fowler splashed out to 4 feet above the hole, and the stage was set for Billy Horschel. The downhill putt appeared to have the correct speed as it descended off the upper shelf, but appeared to be wide right. . . about 2 feet from the cup, the ball broke hard left and poured into the bottom of the cup! Mayhem ensued at the SoFi Center. Billy Horschel did it again, he stomped over to the crowd, threw his putter down and pounded on his chest . . . he proclaimed something about the SoFi being his effin house, and with that a TGL legend was born. However, play wasn’t over, we still had one last chance for the boys from Gotham to answer the exclamation by Horschel. Atlanta up 4-3 with one to play.
NY immediately threw their last hammer, it was all or nothing to force a third match. Cam Young vs Patrick Cantlay. Both players missed the green in two on the par 5, facing tough shots across the green to get up and down. Cantlay was up first and faced a nervy pitch over the bunker, needing to stop it quickly. He executed it perfectly to within 18 inches, putt was conceded. Young had perhaps an even tougher shot from a severe upslope, oh, and he had to make it to keep the season alive. Young nipped it just right, and as the ball neared the cup, it appeared we’d be heading for a rubber match to decide it all . . . but it narrowly slid by, and the Atlanta Drive became the Champions of TGL, and the winners of the inaugural SoFi Cup (and $9 million).
If there was a Finals MVP award, it would go to Billy Ho. Ironically, Arthur Blank would finally realize a championship, and one had to wonder, what was Matt Ryan thinking, as he sat 4 feet away from Blank watching it all.
An indoor golf league played in primetime TV, not sure I saw that one coming, but Mike McCarley, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy did. Let’s do it again next year. . .
