When TGL’s inaugural season started, Rory McIlroy’s Boston Frequent staff was the odds-on favourite to win the SoFi Cup at +350, per Keith Stewart of Learn The Line. McIlroy has Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott, and Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley taking part in alongside him, all of whom are ranked inside the high 30 on this planet — oddsmakers itemizing them because the pre-season favourite made sense.
But, with just one match left within the common season, Boston wants exterior assist to keep away from elimination.
Justin Thomas, Billy Horschel, and Patrick Cantlay of Atlanta Drive beat McIlroy, Matsuyama, and Bradley 6-to-3, handing Boston their fourth loss. McIlroy and firm now should cheer for The Bay, who faces a Tiger Woods-less Jupiter Hyperlinks staff on Tuesday evening. Ought to Jupiter Hyperlinks win, they are going to remove Boston from playoff competition. Solely the highest 4 groups qualify for the postseason, and Boston at the moment sits in sixth place — the cellar of the standings.
“We got here in right here actually anticipating to win,” Bradley mentioned after.
“We received off to a little bit of a sluggish begin. We didn’t play that nice at the start, however we picked it up on the finish. Some good photographs for the boys there on Atlanta to beat us on the finish.”
The pivotal level of Monday evening’s match got here on the par-3 twelfth throughout singles. Boston and Atlanta have been tied up at two apiece, with McIlroy and Cantlay dealing with off.
Measuring solely 162 yards, Cantlay fired a laser to 3 ft away. McIlroy hit his strategy simply off the inexperienced, settling about 20 ft from the cup. Atlanta then threw the hammer, and McIlroy couldn’t save par, giving the Drive a large two factors.
“The large turning level was clearly Patrick hit it in shut there on the opening that we performed, after which they threw the hammer, and I felt like I needed to settle for it,” McIlroy mentioned.
“I wished to no less than have an opportunity to tie that gap and provides it a great run with the chip. However then getting these two factors and going 4-2 up at that time was clearly a giant turning level.
“It was powerful. We felt like we performed fairly good. We hung in there within the triples, and simply disillusioned to not get the job accomplished.”
Bradley then birdied the subsequent gap, the drivable par-4 thirteenth. However Thomas hit a spectacular wedge shot — among the finest in TGL historical past — to tie.
One gap later, Horschel and Matsuyama every hit terrific irons into the 142-yard par-3 14th. However Horschel’s ball settled about 4 inches farther away from Matsuyama’s. In match play, you need to putt first as a way to apply stress to your opponent should you make it. Horschel did simply that, after which Atlanta threw one other hammer, upping the ante of Matsuyama’s birdie attempt. If he made it, they might halve the opening. A miss would give Atlanta two extra factors and, subsequently, the win.
Matsuyama missed, which despatched Atlanta to the playoffs and turned Boston into followers of The Bay.
“Hideki hit a terrific shot into the par-3 and hit a great putt,” McIlroy mentioned.
“It simply didn’t break to the proper like we thought.”
The same sentiment may very well be mentioned about Boston’s inaugural marketing campaign in TGL. No one would have thought that they might not management their very own future at this level within the season. However that’s the place they’re, proving that something can occur in golf — even indoors.
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By means of. Comply with him on X @jack_milko.
