The lineups are in and the course layouts are set for the Finals Series - it’s time to crown a champion at SoFi Center.
No. 3 seed Atlanta Drive GC and No. 4 seed New York Golf Club are the last two teams left standing after upset wins in the Semifinals. Now they’re ready for a best-of-three showdown for the SoFi Cup, with the Finals Series getting underway in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Atlanta and New York will play Match 1 at 9 p.m. ET Monday night on ESPN2, followed by Match 2 at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday night on ESPN. If necessary, Match 3 will be played at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday night on ESPN.
All matches are also available to stream on ESPN+.
HOLE DESIGNS: Check out the library of hole designs for TGL presented by SoFi
Atlanta is going with Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and Billy Horschel for Match 1, while New York is sending Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler and Cameron Young.
The Finals Series will feature two different course layouts – one for Match 1 and Match 3 (if necessary) and another for Match 2. Here’s a look at the Finals Series course layouts.
Match 1 & 3: Atlanta Drive GC vs. New York Golf Club
Players will get a bit of a curveball out of the gate at the par-5 Riptide, playing as the fourth hole. Riptide has only been used in two previous matches, including Atlanta’s 4-0 win over New York. Both teams made birdie to tie the hole.
Fowler has the longest drive at Riptide with a 321-yard poke, while Thomas and Young will have the honors there Monday.
Holes 5-8 represent a particularly tricky stretch in Triples, beginning at the par-3 Set in Stone where players are only hitting the green 58.82% of the time. The seventh hole, Oh Chute, is another tough one-shotter with players hitting the green at a 53.84% clip.
The eighth hole, Temple, is one of the toughest in the entire catalogue. It’s a mid-length par 4 on which players have hit the fairway half the time and only one in eight players has reached the green in regulation.
Atlanta ranks first overall in Singles points won and will look to keep that going beginning at No. 10, Sterling, a 554-yard par 5 that will see Thomas and Young go head-to-head. Young has the longest drive on the hole at 330 yards. Those two will also square off at No. 13, Straight Up, a drivable Par 4 – Young leads the league with four drives of 340-plus yards.
Horschel and Fowler will play their first Singles hole at the 11th, Loot on the Line, a short par 4. They’ll wrap up at the 135-yard par-3, On the Rocks. Fowler has been more accurate off the tee this season and ranks second in cumulative feet of putts made (87’), but Horschel has been a bulldog in Singles.
Cantlay and Schauffele are in the anchor position and play No. 12, Fallen Pine, and No. 15, Boomerang. The former is a lengthy par 3 and the latter a sizable par 5.
Cantlay has been more accurate with the driver but Schauffele is almost 10 yards longer on average. Schauffele has also been one of the best Singles players all season with a 4-1-1 record.
Match 2: New York Golf Club vs. Atlanta Drive GC
Tuesday’s layout certainly looks like the more difficult rotation on paper, with trouble lurking everywhere. While only eight combined penalties have been amassed in the layout for Match 1, the holes for Match 2 have seen 26 combined penalties throughout the season.
New York has been strong in the early-going, ranking second in the league in Triples points won while Atlanta ranks fourth. They’d love to get off to an early lead at the two opening holes, the par-4 The Plank and par-5 The Spear.
Two of these Triples holes have seen a combined 12 penalties this season – No. 4, Pick Yer Plunder, and No. 8, Bluebonnet.
Pick Yer Plunder is a mid-length par 5 that doesn’t have a ton of room off the tee. Bluebonnet is a shorter par 4 playing just 312 yards. New York is the only team to have picked up four wins at Bluebonnet, going 4-1-1 so far this season.
New York has been consistent this season in terms of playing the par 3s, 4s and 5s. Their strokes gained total numbers are 3.8 on the par 3s, 3.8 on the par 4s and 3.2 on the par 5s.
Atlanta has been significantly better at the longer holes, with 4.1 strokes gained at par 3s, 5.4 at par 4s and 10.2 on the par 5s. They should have plenty of confidence starting Singles off at the par-5 Serpent, as well as the par-5 15th hole in Sterling.