Los Angeles dethrones defending champion Atlanta to head to Finals

Trailing 4-1 through seven holes, Los Angeles played inspired golf down the stretch to eliminate the defending champions and advance to the Finals with a 6-4 victory over Atlanta Drive GC in the first of two Semifinals at SoFi Center.

Tommy Fleetwood clinched the victory on Tuesday with a birdie at No. 15, while Justin Rose delivered several clutch moments in the build-up.

Key moments

BACK IN BUSINESS: Los Angeles appeared to be headed for another early exit after getting bounced in the Semifinals as the No. 1 overall seed last season. Trailing 3-0 through three holes, LAGC stayed poised and clawed its way back into the match. They never led until the 13th hole but did enough to stay alive, with Atlanta failing to score a point over the final 11 holes. Most impressively, LAGC beat Atlanta at its own game by outscoring the defending champs 3-0 in Singles – the format in which Atlanta usually thrives. But the putts didn’t fall like they have so frequently over the past two seasons, meaning there will be a new champion crowned next week.

HAMMER SHY: Leading 5-4 at No. 14, Los Angeles threw the Hammer with Billy Horschel needing to make a 5-footer for par to tie the hole. Patrick Cantlay tried to talk Horschel into accepting so they had a chance to win it at No. 15, but Horschel made the call to decline and fall behind 6-4 entering the last. It was a crucial decision and surprising to see Horschel not want to attempt the putt to stay only a point behind.

GOING LONG: Rose’s birdie at No. 14 to give LAGC its first lead of the match wasn’t his only clutch moment of the night. With Atlanta taking a 3-0 lead and threatening to run away with things through three holes, Rose stepped up and delivered with a 24-foot birdie at the fourth to flip the momentum and get LAGC on the board. It was the longest made putt of the season for Los Angeles and allowed them to get back in the match at a crucial time.

Triples

Atlanta started hot but lost some momentum over the final few Triples holes, with Los Angeles making a spirited charge to get right back into the match with six to play.

Los Angeles cut into a 4-1 deficit at the eighth with a tap-in birdie, while Cantlay missed a slippery 4-footer to make it 4-2, Atlanta. LA added another point at the ninth with a Hammer throw after Chris Gotterup left Atlanta in the penalty area off the tee, shrinking Atlanta’s lead to 4-3 entering Singles.

Atlanta built a 4-1 lead at No. 6, "Stinger," after two great shots in a row to set up a 6-footer for birdie. Los Angeles declined a Hammer to fall three behind with nine to play.

Rose got Los Angeles on the board with a bendy 24-foot birdie at Atlanta’s Team Hole, "Fore-0-Fore," stealing a point to make it 3-1.

Atlanta took a 3-0 lead through the first three holes, flipping the script from their 7-3 loss to Los Angeles earlier this season in which LAGC led 3-0 after three.

The defending champs were aggressive out of the gate and threw the Hammer at the third with Los Angeles in for par and Cantlay standing over a 10-footer for birdie. Los Angeles accepted and Cantlay drilled it for the two-point swing.

Gotterup made a 14-footer for birdie at the first to give Atlanta a 1-0 lead.

Singles

Leading 6-4 entering No. 15 with the Hammer in play and Atlanta needing a win to force Overtime, Fleetwood stepped up and delivered with a birdie to tie the hole and send Los Angeles to the Finals.

Los Angeles took its first lead of the night at No. 13, as Rose buried a 16-footer at "Cut the Sails" to give LAGC a 5-4 advantage when Cantlay couldn’t answer on his 14-foot bid to tie the hole.

Rose put himself in good position at No. 10, "The Spear," hitting his second shot onto the fringe while Cantlay laid up. Los Angeles threw the Hammer after Cantlay’s third shot sailed over the green and Atlanta quickly declined to make it 4-4 with five holes to play.

Los Angeles looked like it could take its first lead of the night at the 11th with Horschel in trouble, but the best Singles player in TGL scrambled and saved par with a 10-footer make to tie the hole and keep the match all square.

They said it

Atlanta Drive GC: “Competitive fire ramps up a little bit and we all try to focus a little bit more, because we want to carry on and, especially for us, we want to go back-to-back and see if we can do it again.” – Billy Horschel on the TGL Playoffs

Los Angeles Golf Club: “I feel like so many times we’ve been three holes up and then, before you know it, you’re in a tight match.” – Justin Rose, with LAGC trailing 3-0 early

Jupiter beats Boston, will play L.A. in Finals

With Tiger Woods there every step of the way, Jupiter Links Golf Club stormed its way to a 9-5 Semifinals win Tuesday over Boston Common Golf, eliminating the No. 1 seed and punching its ticket to the Finals.

No. 4-seeded Jupiter took control of the match in Singles and stepped on the gas to the end, setting up a best-of-three matchup with Los Angeles Golf Club after LAGC’s 6-4 victory over Atlanta Drive GC in the first Semifinal.

Key moments

BRING IT HOMA: Matched up with Rory McIlroy in Singles, Max Homa delivered a clean sweep and has now won six consecutive Singles holes entering the Finals. Homa clipped McIlroy at No. 10 with a birdie and secured the victory at No. 13 with par, hitting the Steph Curry “Night Night” celebration as Woods and crew celebrated the victory. That capped a wild turnaround for JLGC, whose playoff outlook was not great until a remarkable turn of events with an Overtime loss to Boston and a ridiculous comeback over The Bay to sneak into the postseason.

SWINGING HAMMER: Jupiter’s fifth-place finish to miss the playoffs in Season 1 was due in part to poor Hammer performance, with the squad finishing last in Hammer points differential. Those days are long gone. Jupiter has used the Hammer to perfection over its last two matches, winning three straight Hammer holes to finish its final match of the regular season on a 6-0 run vs. The Bay Golf Club. They were on point again in that regard Tuesday and Woods held off until the 10th hole, throwing it at the perfect time to earn two points and take a 6-3 lead. They went ahead 7-3 again thanks to the Hammer, with Boston declining it at No. 12. After sneaking into the playoffs, Jupiter is now two wins away from capturing the SoFi Cup after flipping the script from a game strategy perspective.

TEE TROUBLE: McIlroy launched a 324-yard drive down the middle at the first. That proceeded two surprising misses off the tee for McIlroy, who hooked his drive into the penalty area at No. 4 and opened the window for Jupiter to take a point. The Ballfrogs gave another one away at No. 7, "Cenote," when McIlroy took aim at the green with a 4-iron rather than smash driver into the backslope. McIlroy again found the penalty area and Jupiter won the hole with par to take a 3-2 lead.

Triples

Both teams traded blows in the early going, with Homa chipping in at No. 2 to even the match at 1 point apiece. The Ballfrogs answered at the third when McIlroy drained a 17-footer to give Boston a 2-1 advantage as both teams were sharp from the get-go.

Again, Jupiter answered with a par at their Team Hole, "The Jup Life," making par at the fourth after McIlroy hooked his drive into the penalty area to tie the match at 2-2.

Jupiter took the lead back at No. 7, "Cenote," when McIlroy again found the penalty area with his tee shot. JLGC made an easy par to take a 3-2 lead. Boston evened it up at the next with a birdie to make it 3-3.

The Ballfrogs stumbled again at the ninth, "Storrowed," losing their Team Hole for the first time all season when Adam Scott missed a 6-footer for birdie as Jupiter took a 4-3 lead into Singles.

That was an uncharacteristic stumble for Scott, who rolled it in from 12 feet for birdie after a solid approach from Keegan Bradley at the first to give Boston the early 1-0 lead.

Singles

With Homa in for birdie at the first Singles hole, "The Spear," Woods let the Hammer fly – the first Hammer thrown by either team through nine. Boston accepted and McIlroy missed his 7-foot birdie try for a massive two-point swing, with Jupiter taking a 6-3 lead with five holes to play.

Jupiter made another bold decision at the 11th, accepting a Boston Hammer throw with Akshay Bhatia needing to make an 9-footer to avoid losing the hole and a two-point swing in the Ballfrogs’ favor. He put it in the center of the cup that had his teammates fired up, including Woods, who celebrated with a vintage fist pump.

Then it was Tom Kim’s turn to join the fun at "On the Rocks," where he made a hole-in-one to send Jupiter to the postseason in their last match. He hit his tee shot inside 3 feet, creating another opportunity for Jupiter to throw the Hammer. Boston declined and Jupiter took a 7-3 lead with all the momentum on their side.

They said it

Jupiter Links Golf Club: “Night, night! Send me to the championship, boys!” – Max Homa

Boston Common Golf: “It’s win or go home and unfortunately we’re on the go-home end of it tonight.” – Adam Scott

Next at SoFi Center

Jupiter advances to the best-of-three Finals, matched up with Los Angeles Golf Club following LAGC’s 6-4 victory to eliminate Atlanta Drive GC Tuesday in the first Semifinal.

Match 1 of the Finals tees off Monday (March 23) at 9 p.m. ET, followed by Match 2 at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. A decisive Match 3 will be played at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, if necessary.