The 2026 season began with a walk-off win from the defending champion Atlanta Drive GC. It ended with a new top dog as Los Angeles Golf Club bested Jupiter Links Golf Club to lift the SoFi Cup.

Those were just two highlights in a season filled with clutch performances, memorable moments, and plenty of drama.

As for the best of the best, TGL put it to a fan vote to determine season-long winners for categories like 'Best Player', 'Best Hole', 'Best Team Spirit' and more.

Let’s dive into the results.

Best Player: Tom Kim

Known as Tom “Sim” or Tom “Him” around SoFi Center, Kim played his tail off in Season 1 and turned in an even better performance in 2026 to earn Best Player honors from fans.

Kim earned 34% of the vote, beating out fellow candidates like Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Max Homa, Patrick Cantlay and Collin Morikawa.

Kim was a major contributor to Jupiter’s Finals run, leading the league in fairways hit (83.3%) in the regular season. His hole-in-one on the penultimate hole of a win-or-go-home match with The Bay Golf Club helped send his team to the postseason and cemented his status as the man to beat in clutch time.

Best Breakthrough Player: Akshay Bhatia

Bhatia was a new contributor for Jupiter this season and the first lefty ever to compete in TGL. He conquered Stinger, picked up a clutch Singles point in a momentum-building victory over Atlanta, and made a handful of big-time putts to keep Jupiter moving in the right direction.

Bhatia was sharp with the irons, finishing T-4 in greens in regulation (87.5%), and was perfect in scrambling at 100%. He also had the closest tee shot all season at the par 3 The Last Toll, striping one inside five feet against Atlanta Drive.

While Jupiter’s rise to the Finals after missing the playoffs in Season 1 was a major story this season, it likely wouldn’t have happened without those key performances from the top breakout player of the 2026 Season.

Bhatia finished with 54% of the vote, beating out strong contenders including Atlanta’s Chris Gotterup and Boston’s Michael Thorbjornsen.

Best New Hole Design: Stinger

TGL listened to all the fan feedback from Season 1, which included a desire to see more unconventional holes and unique designs.

Heard.

A number of out-of-this-world settings and unique holes with spectacular visuals were introduced for the 2026 Season, including The Last Toll, Cenote, Stinger and Caverns.

RELATED: Explore The New Holes From The 2026 Season

Stinger served as the fan favorite among the new crop of holes, generating tons of interest from fans and players with a tee shot that required players to hit a low-trajectory stinger to avoid an overhanging rock. The hole was anointed Best New Hole Design with 54% of the vote, while Cenote was second with 16%.

Players became quite familiar with said rock in the early weeks before a select few rose to the occasion, hitting the proper shot to tame the tricky par 4. Matt Fitzpatrick became the first TGL player to hit the fairway with driver on this hole, a feat later matched by the likes of Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Thomas.

Used in every TGL match in 2026, there’s no doubt Stinger left its mark this season.

Best Team Spirit: Jupiter Links

Win or lose, Jupiter was always must-see TV at SoFi Center – evidenced by fans giving them the nod for Best Team Spirit with a whopping 63% of the vote.

There was a lot of losing in Season 1, when Jupiter won the hearts of fans if not many matches with their entertaining mic’d up banter. They kept those same vibes in the 2026 Season while stepping it up in the SoFi Cup Standings, earning a 2-2-1 record to sneak into the playoffs.

The reaction to Kim’s hole-in-one sent Jupiter into a frenzy and personified their team spirit with a never-say-die attitude. They also put on a show for the fans and won with style points, like Homa’s Steph Curry-inspired “Night Night” celebration after he hit the clinching putt in a 9-5 Semifinals victory over Boston Common Golf.

With some of the best team chemistry in the league and a Finals run under their belts, we'll see what the 2027 season has in store for Jupiter Links.

Best Hammer Strategy: Jupiter Links

While this was always a talented roster with good vibes, it takes some strategy to win at SoFi Center as well. Jupiter learned that the hard way in Season 1, when they finished last in Hammer points differential at –12. They also accepted the most opponent Hammer throws and needed to learn when to eat the point.

Jupiter completely turned it around in the 2026 Season, finishing with a +2 Hammer points differential as they began to take their medicine and decline when appropriate.

The new strategy was embodied in the regular season finale against The Bay, with Jupiter needing a victory to make the playoffs. They trailed 6-3 with three holes to play and embarked on a 6-0 run down the stretch to stun The Bay and win in regulation.

Jupiter threw Hammers at No. 13 and No. 14, winning two points on each hole to take the lead and ultimately lock up a postseason bid.

They still hit the clutch shots, but the Finals run wouldn’t have been possible without a strong command of the Hammer strategy.