PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — In one of the most exciting matches of the TGL season, Atlanta Drive GC defeated New York Golf Club 6-5 to win the first match of the best-of-three TGL final.
Xander Schauffele, who has made a point of making clutch putts when he’s needed to over the last 12 months — after winning two major championships — couldn’t convert a six-footer on the final hole after Patrick Cantlay had made a six-footer of his own, with overtime looming large.
Atlanta now has a 1-0 lead in the TGL final series, with New York needing to win back-to-back matches Tuesday to win the SoFi Cup.
Atlanta was up 2-0 early after Billy Horschel hit an impressive approach on the par-5 4th from 233 yards away to just nine feet. Cantlay made the eagle putt and Justin Thomas shushed the crowd, a hearty number of whom was boisterously cheering for the New York side.
“I kind of felt like the loser at school tonight. Like we had everybody against us,” Thomas said with a smile.
“I don’t know who flew those guys down, but it probably would be nice to have them tomorrow night, as well,” Schauffele added.
New York mounted a quick comeback, however, and made it 2-2 after Horschel hit a chip across and through the green on No. 6 leading to a bogey.
That’s the way the score stayed after nine holes, marking just the second time all season that the teams were tied after triples.
Cam Young then made it 4-2 for New York on No. 10 after Atlanta Drive accepted a New York hammer throw — with Young handing Thomas his first singles loss of the season. Thomas would also go on to lose the penultimate hole. No. 13, to Young.
The par-4 11th, however, was the hole of the night.
With Rickie Fowler in for par, Horschel was looking at a nine-footer for birdie. Horschel’s Atlanta teammates were discussing throwing the hammer and Horschel exclaimed he was going to make that putt — and make it he did.
Horschel then went nuts, throwing a double fist pump, yelling out, “Let’s go!” and screaming directly at the New York crowd in the stands of the SoFi Center.
“Really, I think Billy making that putt when the hammer was down… It ultimately still came down to making putts. So, Billy making that putt was really, I think, the deciding point in the match tonight,” Cantlay said.
New York, meanwhile, threw only one of their three hammers on the night, admitting they didn’t think there were good opportunities to throw it. Schauffele did admit he regretted accepting the hammer on No. 11, leading to Horschel tying the match.
“I think a questionable hammer decision, and the golf was plenty good enough to have won the match tonight,” Young said.
New York will need to dig deep — and potentially pivot on some of its hammer strategy — if they are to mount a comeback and win the SoFi Cup.
That has been the story of the latter half of 2025 for New York, however, having started 0-2 and then going 3-0-1 in their last four matches prior to the TGL final to clinch a playoff berth and a spot in the final, so it’s not completely out of the picture.
“You can tell everyone was trying to win, and them being up one is a big advantage, but in my eyes and I’m sure these boys and our team, we lost our first two matches, so this technically isn’t something that we haven’t already faced this exact season,” Schauffele said. “It’ll be a fun go tomorrow.”
Match 2 and 3 of the SoFi Cup Final featuring New York Golf Club vs. Atlanta Drive GC in a best-of-three series on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
Match 2: March 25 at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT
Match 3: March 25 at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT (if needed)
