New York Golf Club Shocks Top-Ranked Los Angeles, Advances to TGL Finals
In a thrilling semifinal clash at SoFi Center on Monday night, the New York Golf Club (NYGC) pulled off a surprising 6-4 victory over the top-seeded Los Angeles Golf Club (LAGC) to punch their ticket to the Finals Series of TGL presented by SoFi.
From the very first hole, the energy in the arena was intense. Gone were the lighthearted exchanges; both teams knew the stakes, and it showed. For NYGC, every match leading up to this had been do-or-die, clawing their way into the postseason after starting the season with two straight losses. For LAGC, it was unfamiliar territory—this was a team that hadn’t lost in regulation all season.
“We’re all pretty happy,” said NYGC star Xander Schauffele. “We believed it was possible, but we knew it wouldn’t be easy. We’re just thrilled to still be in it.”
With this win, New York continues its remarkable turnaround, now boasting a 3-0-1 record in its last four matches. The team will now face the winner of the other semifinal between The Bay Golf Club (No. 2 seed) and Atlanta Drive Golf Club (No. 3 seed) in the Finals Series scheduled for March 24-25.
The pivotal moment of the match came on the 14th hole. Tommy Fleetwood had a crucial 5-foot birdie putt to keep Los Angeles alive, but in a heartbreaking twist, the ball lipped out, sealing the win for New York and bringing LAGC’s season to a sudden end. Earlier, Rickie Fowler had a chance to close out the match with a 9-foot birdie but narrowly missed, giving Fleetwood one last opportunity.
“They kind of handed us a little gift,” Fowler admitted. “It’s not the way you want to win—of course we wanted to finish it off in style—but we’ll take it and move forward.”
Despite that missed putt, Fowler was instrumental for NYGC throughout the match. After Los Angeles grabbed an early lead on the first hole, Fowler responded quickly with a birdie on the second to even things up. He continued to shine, sinking a 6-foot birdie on the sixth hole to help New York take a slim 3-2 advantage heading into Singles play.
In Singles, Fowler and Schauffele secured crucial points. Fowler earned another point on the 11th hole, while Schauffele outplayed Collin Morikawa on the 13th, putting New York up 6-3 and effectively out of reach.
“New York played really well, and we had our chances,” Morikawa reflected. “I didn’t perform at my best, and I take ownership of that. In this format, you’ve got to make putts—we just weren’t getting the ball in the hole first, and that makes all the difference.”
The semifinals continue Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, when The Bay faces Atlanta at SoFi Center, with the winner joining New York in the Finals.
