Down 3-0 with four holes to play, Atlanta Drive GC produced a sensational comeback capped by a 17-foot Billy Horschel birdie putt to win Match 2 of the Finals Series and collect the SoFi Cup in a 4-3 victory over New York Golf Club.
While the best-of-three Finals Series appeared to be headed to a decisive Match 3, Atlanta remained in the hunt through 11 holes having saved all three Hammers to that point.
Atlanta cut the deficit to 3-2 by putting the Hammer in play on holes No. 12 and 13, both of which were declined by New York.
New York accepted the third Hammer throw on No. 14, where Horschel was standing over a 17-footer for birdie while Rickie Fowler was in a greenside bunker needing to get up-and-down to save par. Figuring the odds of Fowler getting up-and-down were better than Horschel making the putt to win the hole, New York accepted to make the hole worth two points.
Horschel made them pay with a winding putt and an ensuing celebration that will add to his TGL highlight reel.
“This is my … house!,” Horschel shouted, dropping his putter and throwing his hat before being mobbed by Atlanta teammates Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay.
The two-point swing gave Atlanta a 4-3 lead entering the final hole, which was also worth two points when New York threw the Hammer prior to Cantlay and Cameron Young hitting their tee shots.
Knowing he likely needed to get up-and-down to avoid Match 3, Cantlay chipped it inside three feet to ice the victory and claim the first-place prize payout of $9 million to be split amongst the team.
“I figured if we made birdie we’d have a good chance at closing it out,” Cantlay said. “I like being in that spot, the anchor spot. …And it’s no surprise (Horschel) made another putt worth two points.”
Horschel also helped spark a comeback victory with Atlanta trailing 4-2 Monday night in Match 1, draining an 11-foot birdie putt to tie it up and set the tone for an eventual 6-5 victory.
Atlanta finished the year with a 7-1 record and were the most-consistent team through the inaugural season at the SoFi Center.
“It’s completely exceeded my expectations,” Thomas said of the inaugural season of TGL. “It’s been a blast. The competitiveness once the playoffs got here. (New York), I’m sure they would say the same, they were different last night. Not chippy, but it was competitive. We wanted to win. And, yeah … Billy does Billy things..”
The second season of TGL is set to return in 2026.