TGL returned with a bang to Florida’s SoFi Center, with three matches having taken place in the latest gameweek.
And it kicked off in fantastic fashion, with Atlanta Drive GC beating Los Angeles Golf Club 6-5 in overtime.
TGL producers want players to be entertaining, and they certainly were in that opener, and indeed throughout the entire tournament so far.
Tiger Woods couldn’t stop laughing at Kevin Kisner following his bunker nightmare earlier in the competition, one of many incidents that has witnessed a more light-hearted approach to the sport.
At the same time, however, the players are there to win TGL, as shown in their competitiveness in the latest closest-to-the-pin contest.
Justin Rose and Smylie Kaufman want TGL win for closest-to-pin hole out
And it was Atlanta Drive who won it, despite Tommy Fleetwood levelling the best of three contest by sinking his effort.
Such a scenario should have ended the match immediately in the eyes of Smylie Kaufman, who wrote on X: “Ok hot take… the closest to the pin sudden death format if you were to hole it out (like Tommy did) that should be game over.”
Fleetwood’s teammate Justin Rose shared the same verdict post-match, when they were both asked about the overtime chip-in.
“Well, I had no idea where that was going to finish up,” said Fleetwood. “So it was nice to see. I think with about two seconds to go I knew it was going to be closer, so that was the good part of it, and then going in it was just a bonus.
“Like I say, it was a great match to be a part of. I’m happy that I played well for the boys. You always feel good about that.
“I just felt like we played great as a team, and how many times out of 100 would we lose that match. Probably not many. It just didn’t go our way today, but I really don’t think we did anything wrong. That’s just the way it goes.
“But it goes back to it. I think we should be very grateful that we were in that situation today and had those experiences moving forward.”
Rose commented: “Maybe rule change, if you hole it in the overtime, it’s a walk-off win for the whole team.”
Fleetwood then joked: “So many rules going against us. It’s like everybody has got propaganda against us.”
Atlanta Drive edge out Los Angeles despite Tommy Fleetwood TGL magic
Fleetwood was on fire even before the match started, with the Englishman sinking an ace during practice.
He then very nearly repeated that feat in the actual match, where his Los Angeles side fell to a narrow and perhaps undeserved victory.
Billy Horschel edged out Rose in the first of the closest-to-the-pin ties, before Fleetwood’s magic outclassed Justin Thomas.
But Atlanta Drive took the victory as Patrick Cantlay overcame Sahith Theegala in another hugely entertaining clash.
Thomas and Cantlay returned for match two alongside Lucas Glover, but this time their side lost out to The Bay Golf Club.
Another 6-5 scoreline took place, with The Bay then following that win up by defeating Boston Common Golf 5-4.
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