Atlanta Drive Golf Club gets convincing win over New York Golf Club in TGL debut
4 Min Read
Written by TGL Staff
Atlanta Drive Golf Club was all-in from the start on Tuesday for TGL presented by SoFi.
Billy Horschel rolled up to SoFi Center rocking a Michael Penix Jr. Atlanta Falcons jersey and whipped out a "Dirty Bird" chain with the accompanying dance moves for his grand entrance. Patrick Cantlay kept his more outspoken teammates in line and played strong, steady golf. And Justin Thomas was unapologetically himself, setting the tone as Atlanta Drive clinched a 4-0 victory over New York Golf Club.
The result was decided after the 12th hole, and the three remaining holes were played with no further scoring. NYGC drops to 0-2 with the loss after falling to The Bay Golf Club in Week 1, as Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick and Rickie Fowler hung tough but failed to win a hole in the first shutout in TGL history.
“We’ve not holed a putt yet,” Fitzpatrick said of the team’s short game struggles.
There was a learning curve for Thomas, who came close to the penalty area on his opening shot and later found it off the tee on the fourth. But it didn’t take long for the two-time major winner to get it dialed in. Acting as a team spokesman of sorts, he kept the vibes up with tons of energy.

Highlights: New York Golf Club vs. Atlanta Drive GC
Despite a few moments that seemed like an ideal time to throw the Hammer and increase the stakes of the hole by a point, the flag hung from Thomas’ back pocket where it would remain throughout the duration of the match.
“We just got up early and didn’t need to [throw it],” Cantlay said. “It’s that simple.”
Thomas made a few clutch putts through the first nine holes, including a 24-footer for par at No. 4, "Serpent," to salvage a tie despite the one-stroke penalty.
“Had to make up for that bad tee shot,” Thomas told his teammates.
All told, Atlanta Drive holed a combined 65 feet of putts excluding gimmes, while NYGC made just 15 feet total.
It was a different story on the tee box, where Young mashed driver throughout the night in his TGL debut. Replacing Xander Schauffele in the lineup, Young hit a 345-yard drive at the par-5 fourth hole – the longest drive on that hole by 31 yards through three matches.
“Obviously not the result we wanted, but I feel like it was the best golf I’ve seen from watching the other two matches,” Young said. “It was a blast and I think we’ll do better next time.”
Thomas got the better of Young at No. 10 to get Singles started, giving Atlanta Drive a 3-0 lead with a conceded birdie. Horschel increased the lead to 4-0 at the 11th, where he topped Fitzpatrick with a conceded par.
Falcons and Atlanta Drive owner Arthur M. Blank was in attendance to watch the debut victory on the campus of Palm Beach State College, as were New York Mets and NYGC owner Steve Cohen, rapper Ja Rule and two-time NBA champion and former Sixth Man of the Year, J.R. Smith.
It was a true team effort from start to finish for Atlanta Drive. Cantlay used Thomas’ 60-degree wedge throughout the night, finding it more forgiving around the GreenZone. Horschel even distributed Dirty Bird chains for his teammates late in Singles, making for a nice scene in postgame handshakes and interviews.

Justin Thomas sinks long putt to save par and tie the hole at TGL
Future opponents will definitely take notice of that debut showing, especially from Thomas. The 31-year-old was fresh off a solo-second finish at The American Express over the weekend on the PGA TOUR and stayed hot in a much different environment at SoFi Center.
Thomas said he didn’t know what to expect in a pre-match interview with TGL host Scott Van Pelt, but nothing about his performance came as a surprise to those who’ve played alongside him over the past decade.
“Something like this is built for JT,” Horschel said. “He loves the environment like it is tonight. I think he’s gonna thrive in TGL.”
NYGC’s players have all thrived on the biggest stages as well, but they’re still searching for a way to carry it over and earn that elusive first win.
“We just gotta find a way to play better than the other team,” Fowler said. “We got out-played both times. I don’t think we played very poorly other than our first hole. ... We dug ourselves a small hole but I felt like we played decent from there.”
Atlanta Drive picks up two points in the SoFi Cup Standings with the win and moves into a three-way tie for first place alongside The Bay Golf Club and Los Angeles Golf Club. The team returns to action as part of a Feb. 17 TGL tripleheader, taking on Los Angeles GC at 1 p.m. ET and The Bay GC at 4 p.m.
NYGC looks to snap the two-match losing streak when it returns Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. against Jupiter Links Golf Club.