The first match of a best-of-three series for the first-ever TGL championship took place on Monday night as Atlanta Drive Golf Club and New York Golf Club went head-to-head for the SoFi Cup.
Atlanta Drive GC entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed, beating The Bay Golf Club to earn a spot in the championship. New York GC was the No. 4 seed and upset top-seeded Los Angeles GC in the semifinals.
Justin Thomas, Billy Horschel and Patrick Cantlay were active for Atlanta, while Lucas Glover did not play. For New York, Cameron Young, Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele were in action. Matt Fitzpatrick was inactive.
Atlanta beat New York, 6-5, in a match that came down to the final hole.
Here are the best moments from Monday’s match.
Young and Thomas kickoff first-ever championship match
First tee shots of TGL finals. pic.twitter.com/FA9pclBvGL
— TGL (@TGL) March 25, 2025
New York’s Young and Atlanta’s Thomas got the action started on Hole 1 with 330-yard and 338-yard drives, respectively. The hole ended in a tie.
Cantlay, Schauffele hit back-to-back near hole-in-ones
Absolute dart. 🎯 pic.twitter.com/WhE37ZpRZ3
— TGL (@TGL) March 25, 2025
…and Schauffele answers, let’s gooo. pic.twitter.com/coBHlew8lH
— TGL (@TGL) March 25, 2025
Just when it looked like Cantlay put Atlanta in a position to extend its early lead with a near hole-in-one on Hole 3, Schauffele stepped to the tee and followed up with an impressive shot to give New York a chance to tie. Cantlay’s shot landed two feet away from the hole, while Schauffele’s shot landed just over three feet away.
Fowler nearly sinks long chip shot
Rickie making those tricky shots look easy. pic.twitter.com/F5BU0Zb789
— TGL (@TGL) March 25, 2025
Fowler was close to putting the pressure on Atlanta in the last hole of triples. Fowler nearly hit a 50-foot chip shot on New York’s third shot on Hole 9, which would have left Atlanta needing to sink a 28-foot putt to leave the match tied at 2-2. Unfortunately for New York, Fowler’s shot was three feet to the left of the hole and Atlanta capitalized by getting the tie.
New York GC takes two-point lead
🔨 strategy 101. pic.twitter.com/VWVLnWV8A2
— TGL (@TGL) March 25, 2025
Thomas’s missed third shot on Hole 10 gave New York the opening it needed to take a late lead. Following the miss, New York threw the hammer — doubling the value of the hole — before Young sank a nine-foot putt to give New York a 4-2 lead.
Horschel hits clutch shot
New York’s lead did not last long, as the team found itself in a similar situation in Hole 11 as Atlanta was in on Hole 10. After a missed putt by Fowler on his third shot, Atlanta threw the hammer and Horschel drilled a near 12-foot putt to tie the match at 4-4.
NYGC retakes lead
Cam grabs the lead for NY. pic.twitter.com/s0DVTBX9nU
— TGL (@TGL) March 25, 2025
New York continued to show its ability to capitalize on Atlanta’s mistakes on Hole 13. After a missed seven-foot putt by Thomas on his fourth shot, Young hit a three-foot putt to give New York a 5-4 lead.
Cantlay seals the win for Atlanta
It all came down to the final hole: ATL wins Finals Match 1. pic.twitter.com/f5DxKwfa8B
— TGL (@TGL) March 25, 2025
The last hole of the match came down to a pair of near-identical six-foot putts for Cantlay and Schauffele. Cantlay sank his putt, while Schauffele narrowly missed his shot, giving Atlanta a 6-5 win.
