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Atlanta Drive claims inaugural TGL title over New York Golf Club

Published: 26 Mar. 2025, 12:51 Updated: 27 Mar. 2025, 08:47

PAIK JI-HWAN
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From left: Lucas Glover and Patrick Cantlay of Atlanta Drive GC, TGL CEO Mike McCarley, SoFi CEO Anthony Noto, Billy Horschel and Justin Thomas of Atlanta Drive pose for a photo with the SoFi Cup at the SoFi Center in Florida on March 25. [TGL]

Justin Thomas, Billy Horshel and Patrick Cantlay of Atlanta Drive GC beat Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler and Cameron Young of New York Golf Club 4-3 in the second match of the best-of-three TGL final series on Tuesday at the SoFi Center in Florida, winning the inaugural TGL champion title and taking home $9 million.

The two sides went head-to-head a day after Atlanta Drive secured a narrow 6-5 in their first final match.

Tuesday’s match remained scoreless until New York Golf Club grabbed two straight points on the seventh and eight holes of the triples session.

Each TGL match consists of 15 holes, split into two sessions: nine holes of triples, where golfers alternate shots in a 3x3 format; and six holes of singles, where two golfers face off head-to-head. The team with the fewest shots on a hole wins a point, and the team with the most points at the end wins the match.

Schauffele added one more point for New York Golf Club on the 10th hole, but Atlanta Drive bounced back from the 12th hole.

Cantlay captured one point on the 12th hole, with Thomas adding one more on the next hole.

A hammer thrown by Atlanta Drive on the 14th hole turned out to be a successful call for the team, with Horshel securing two points to turn the score at 4-3.

Each hole is worth a point, but if a team throws the so-called “hammer” on a hole and the opposing team accepts it, the value of the hole increases to two points. A team is allowed to throw the hammer on any hole.

The Atlanta trio went on to keep that score through the end and sealed the inaugural TGL champion title. The title also went to Lucas Glover, who was not in Tuesday’s action.

“I think we probably sound like a broken record, just not knowing what to expect, not just us on Atlanta Drive but just all the teams didn't know what to expect and how it would be,” Thomas said during a post-match press conference. “But yeah, it truly was a blast. It's obviously easier probably for us to say that than others, but we filled in very nicely for each other.”

Justin Thomas of Atlanta Drive GC hits a shot on the fourth hole during their second TGL final match against New York Golf Club at the SoFi Center in Florida on March 25. [TGL]

Tuesday’s final concludes a two-month TGL campaign that made its debut this year with six teams — New York Golf Club, Los Angeles Golf Club, Atlanta Drive, Bay Golf Club, Boston Common Golf and Jupiter Links Golf Club — competing in a round-robin format before the semifinals. Boston Common and Jupiter Links missed the cut for the semifinals this season.

The TGL is a new golf league played at the purpose-built SoFi Center, where contenders compete using an advanced screen golf system. The tee boxes are placed further back for a better view of the ball's trajectory and golfers still tee off on real grass.

The 2025 TGL season featured multiple PGA stars such as Tiger Woods and sole Korean representation Tom Kim on Jupiter Links, while Rory McIlroy turned out for Boston Common.

The TGL has yet to announce the 2026 campaign schedule or potential changes to the league as of Wednesday, although Alexis Ohanian, one of the owners of Los Angeles Golf Club, told CNN on Monday that he expects that the league will soon feature female golfers.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]