Both teams shook off some early miscues, buckled down and delivered a back-and-forth thriller Monday in Match 1 of the Finals, with Los Angeles Golf Club winning two points on the final hole to earn the victory over Jupiter Links and go up 1-0 in the best-of-three series with the SoFi Cup on the line.

Both teams will be back at SoFi Center on Tuesday, with Match 2 teeing off at 7 p.m. ET. But there’s a twist – Tiger Woods will be back in the lineupfor the first time all season, looking to provide a spark for his Jupiter Links squad. Woods, Max Homa and Tom Kim will go against Justin Rose, Sahith Theegala and Tommy Fleetwood.

Key moments

• Sahith shakes it off: Theegala did not have his A-game to start the match for Los Angeles. Undeterred, Theegala came to the 15th hole needing a win with LAGC down 5-4 and the Hammer in play to make the hole worth two points. He delivered at the par 5 "Stone & Steeple," hitting the green in two and two-putting for a stress-free birdie to give LAGC the win in Match 1 and redeem himself after a rough start.
• Hammer hold-up: Jupiter’s dramatic improvement in Hammer strategy this season is one of the biggest reasons they’re playing in the Finals. That includes knowing when to keep it in the back pocket, something Woods embraced with a disciplined approach Monday in his usual non-playing role. Neither team threw the Hammer through the first eight holes, keeping them holstered and allowing for the fireworks that would occur in Singles, with Hammers thrown on three of the six final holes.
• Crowd of champions: Match 1 of the Finals had a worthy audience looking on at SoFi Center, with some serious championship résumés to their name. The champions club included the likes of Matthew Tkachuk, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Florida Panthers and a member of the U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning men’s hockey team, Jason Myers, Seattle Seahawks kicker and Super Bowl champion, Warren Sapp, Hall of Fame defensive lineman and Super Bowl champion and Serena Williams, 23-time major winner and Los Angeles Golf Club co-owner.

Triples

Jupiter squandered a chance at an early lead at the first when Kevin Kisner missed a 6-footer for birdie. That would have been an unusual spot for a Jupiter team used to winning in comeback fashion, something Woods and Homa acknowledged when they looked poised to go up 1-0 at No. 1.

“Can’t win ‘em all unless you win the first one,” Woods said.

“We’ve never tried that,” Homa countered.

Los Angeles has made hay in Triples all year and got off to a solid start once again, making a stress-free birdie at the par-5 second, "Caverns," to get off to a 1-0 lead. They were in good shape again at the fourth, "The Jup Life," but Homa came through with a clutch 8-foot birdie make to tie the hole and keep it at a one-point deficit.

Jupiter tied it up at "Loot on the Line" despite a three-putt bogey – Theegala found the penalty area off the tee and later missed a 3-footer for bogey that would have tied the hole, evening the match at 1-1 through six.

Los Angeles had another costly short miss on the following hole when Fleetwood’s 3-foot birdie bid lipped out, giving Jupiter a 2-1 lead after Kim sunk his 8-footer for birdie to completely flip the momentum.

As he’s done many times this season, Rose stepped up in a big spot and chipped in from 35 feet for birdie at No. 8, landing it just beyond the fringe to get it started on a right-to-left line into the cup. That tied the match at 2-2 and gave Los Angeles some much-needed momentum after a rough stretch of holes.

Jupiter snagged the lead back on the final hole of Triples, throwing the first Hammer of the match for either team after gaining an upper hand midway through the par-5 "Showtime." Los Angeles declined to make it 3-2 Jupiter with six to play.

Singles

Rose came through again to kick off Singles, making a nervy 5-footer for birdie at the 10th while Homa’s 3-foot birdie try lipped out. That earned a key point for Los Angeles and tied it up at 3-3.

LAGC threw the Hammer for the first time at No. 11 with Fleetwood in good position at "Alpine." Jupiter quickly declined as Los Angeles regained the lead, 4-3.

Theegala’s struggles continued at the par-3 "Cenote," where he again sprayed his tee shot into the penalty area. Kisner stuck his tee shot to 6 feet and LAGC conceded the hole to make it 4-4 with three holes remaining.

Los Angeles missed another key short putt at the 13th with Rose lipping out from 6 feet. Homa atoned for his miss at the 10th when he drained his birdie putt to get the win and give Jupiter a 5-4 lead.

Kim and Fleetwood both delivered in crunch time at No. 14, trading birdies with the Hammer in play to ensure the match came down to the final hole. Los Angeles spent some time discussing whether to accept the Hammer, ultimately betting on Fleetwood and making what proved to be the correct decision.

Los Angeles threw the Hammer ahead of tee shots at the 15th and Theegala ensured it didn’t go to waste, winning the hole with a birdie to take two points and secure a 6-5 comeback victory for LAGC.

They said it

• Los Angeles Golf Club: “It’s so nice to have a team behind me that trusts me. I wasn’t executing. All it was, was committing to a shot and executing. With the guys having my back and trusting me that made me feel so much better standing over the last tee shot.” - Sahith Theegala
• Jupiter Links Golf Club: “We had our opportunities and they had their opportunities. We could have flipped it in the middle of (Singles) and it came down to the last hole. Unfortunately it didn’t happen, but we have, possibly, two more matches. We’re not out of this. Even with a loss (tonight), we’re still not out of this.” - Tiger Woods, who will compete Tuesday for the first time all season

Next at SoFi Center

Match 2 of the Finals tees off at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday at SoFi Center, followed by Match 3 at 9 p.m. if necessary. Los Angeles just needs to win one of the two in order to clinch the SoFi Cup and earn the title of TGL champions.

After faltering at the last hole on Monday, Jupiter now needs to win Match 2 just to stay alive and force a decisive third match. But they’ll be playing with Tiger Woods in the lineup.