Billy Horschel raised his right hand and pointed at the crowd, putter in hand with a big grin on his face. Nine months after making the decisive birdie putt in Atlanta Drive GC’s Finals Series win, the man who always rises to the occasion at SoFi Center drained a 37-foot eagle putt to break New York’s hearts once again and give Atlanta a 6-4 victory Sunday in the TGL season-opener.

That capped a Finals Series rematch that ended in similar fashion, with Atlanta stepping up down the stretch to win a back-and-forth battle against NYGC.

“I was like, ‘Just get it to the hole. Give it a chance.’ About 5 feet out it looked pretty good,” Horschel said. “I did it to them again.”

Horschel did it alongside two new faces in the lineup, as alternates Chris Gotterup and Corey Conners stepped in for Patrick Cantlay and Lucas Glover. Both played well even after a pre-match curveball, with Gotterup breaking his driver. He ended up playing with Conners’ backup driver, striping it down the fairway on the opening tee shot to officially send the new season in motion.

Both teams traded pars in the early going before the action picked up at the fourth. Like a prize fighter setting a trap, Atlanta once again made excellent use of the Hammer at the par-5 "Fore-0-Fore" to conclude Triples.

Matt Fitzpatrick had just missed long of the green on the third shot for New York when Atlanta threw the Hammer, with Conners preparing to hit the team’s third shot from 89 yards out. New York took the bait and accepted – Conners stuck the ball to inside 6 feet and Horschel made the birdie putt to give Atlanta a 3-1 lead entering Singles.

Atlanta finished first in TGL in Hammer points differential by a wide margin last season and often throws it in seemingly-innocuous moments, tempting opponents into bad decisions.

Cantlay displayed a great grasp of Hammer strategy in Season 1 and served as a consultant from the stands, sitting alongside teammate Justin Thomas.

Thomas also joined ABC’s broadcast booth down the stretch in Triples and spent most of that time heckling New York’s Xander Schauffele about everything from his swing specifics to the color of his shirt. Thomas is still recovering from offseason surgery and was able to join his teammates for a pre-match ceremony, with a banner commemorating Atlanta’s 2025 championship run raised to the rafters in SoFi Center.

“Being the inaugural winner is a big deal,” Thomas said. “They can’t take that banner from us and I know [team owner Arthur Blank] put a lot of faith and trust in us.”

New York made it 4-2 after Atlanta declined a Hammer throw at the 11th and tied the match with back-to-back points at Nos. 13 and 14. Young made a 23-foot eagle putt at the 13th and Fitzpatrick came through with birdie at the 14th to tie the match heading into the final hole.

New York got on the board first at its Team Hole, the par-5 "Big Apple," with the NYC skyline and Statue of Liberty serving as a fitting backdrop. TGL added six regionally-themed Team Holes for 2026, and squads will see their specific Team Hole in every match they play this season.

Atlanta returns to action at 5 p.m. ET Jan. 6 in a matchup with The Bay Golf Club, while New York is set for a 7 p.m. tilt with Jupiter Links Golf Club on Jan. 13. The next TGL match is Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. when Boston Common Golf will take on Los Angeles Golf Club.