When Atlanta Drive GC’s Billy Horschel walked out and did the Dirty Bird – the dance made famous by the 1998 Atlanta Falcons – you knew New York Golf Club was probably in for a long night.

Two hours and one final Dirty Bird later, and Atlanta Drive GC pitched the first shutout of the season at SoFi Center, a 4-0 win over Rickie Fowler, Cameron Young and Matt Fitzpatrick.

Horschel was right in the middle of it throughout, making a 6 footer on the sixth hole as Atlanta took a 2-0 lead in Triples and then winning the 11th hole in his Singles matchup against Fitzpatrick.

WATCH: Match Highlights New York GC vs. Atlanta Drive

When asked if they would tweak anything for their remaining four regular season matches, Thomas picked just one thing.

“I'd probably go back in time and not watch Billy do the dirty bird dance if I could because I will never be able to get that out of my mind,” said Thomas.

“Etched in there for life,” responded Horschel.

Here are five takeaways from Week 3.

1. Billy ruled

As JT said, Billy's dance will live long in the memory. Characters make teams, and I appreciate Horschel being willing to put himself out there. It’s a vulnerable spot to be, dancing on national television, and he lent into it. It’s not just the dancing, either, but his joyous vibe throughout the evening was great to watch.

[My family] knew it was coming,” said Horschel. “Obviously my wife and kids knew, … they were doing the dance the other night on FaceTime. When they found out what the dance was, they looked it up on YouTube and saw it. Listen, my kids love me so hopefully they gave me a good rating and they liked what I did, but I'm sure they're going to make fun of me at the same time, which is cool with me.”

That’s awesome.

2. Hammer strategy

The Hammer was not used the entire match. Atlanta Drive started with it, and Atlanta Drive ended with it, which led to the lowest score of the season so far. The reason? Cantlay was overheard talking during the match about how the expected value of the Hammer is much higher when your team is in a bad spot compared to when a team clearly has the advantage on the hole.

This is smart and nuanced, and probably the best strategy. It's also unfortunate for NYGC because the Hammer was probably what they needed to find a spark.

“We're all very much strategic and trying to understand, but Patrick takes it to another level,” said Horschel. “He's like, ‘Guys, we don't use it in these certain ranges’ and everything, and we let him make the decision of when we needed to throw it. Once we got up early, he said, ‘Hey, guys, we're going to hang on to this.’ It was as simple as that.”

3. NYGC Looking For First Win

NYGC has scored two points in two matches and is at the bottom of the SoFi Cup Standings with an 0-2 record and just three matches remaining. This match was certainly an improvement from the 9-2 defeat to The Bay Golf Club on opening night, but it was in hand for Atlanta Drive after the 12th hole.

“We dug ourselves a small hole, but I felt like we played decent from there,” said Fowler. “But the big thing is we have to find a way to hole some putts.”

4. Early holes matter

All three teams that have put a point on the board first in their matches have gone on to win those matches. Part of that is those teams were playing better on the night, sure, but part of it is that once your team gets down – especially without the Hammer, like NYGC on Tuesday – it can be very difficult to claw back.

Because matches are 15 holes, teams with leads after three or four holes can play it just a bit safer, especially when they’re in a position of power with the Hammer. This trend almost certainly will not continue all season, but it’s one to keep an eye on over the next few matches.

5. Star of the night

Horschel stole the overall show, but Justin Thomas was probably Atlanta Drive’s most important player. He hit two of his three putts between 10-30 feet, including a 25 footer on the 4th hole and a 22 footer on the 13th hole. The first of those was especially timely, given that it was to tie the hole after Thomas hit Atlanta Drive’s tee ball into the penalty area.

Overall, though, Thomas was terrific from tee to green and was easily the best putter in the match.