PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Billy Horschel was animated on Tuesday night. This was nothing new, but watching the eight-time PGA Tour winner jawing with a former NBA referee was. To say Horschel was heated would be a stretch—it was also hard to hear with music constantly blaring inside the SoFi Center—but he wasn’t not heated if that makes sense. And it all stemmed from a hammer ruling. That involved a booth review.
Trying to explain a scene like this to golf fans just a few months ago would have been impossible, because it still seemed hard to wrap your head around even as TGL’s inaugural season wrapped up. But the tech-infused league’s season finale delivered plenty of more typical golf drama also. And Horschel was at the center of that as well.
Thanks to Horschel’s twisting 18-foot birdie on the 14th hole, Atlanta Drive defeated New York Golf Club 4-3 to sweep the best-of-three finals and claim the $9 million first-place team prize. Horschel’s double- (triple-?) breaking putt after another hammer had been thrown to make it worth two points allowed Atlanta to take the lead for the first time all night. And in true team fashion, Horschel gave a lot of the credit to Justin Thomas.
"JT comes over and I said, 'listen, if they accept [the hammer], I'm making this putt', and JT said, 'hey, I've got the perfect line on this,'" Horschel said. "He gave me the perfect read, and I did a great job of following his direction and the putt went in."
After making his longest putt of the TGL season, Horschel galloped off the green, tossing his putter and then his hat to the ground in celebration and stretching his arms toward the crowd. He didn’t need to yell, “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!” because the packed crowd at the Sofi Center clearly was. He did, however, yell something else during what he described as a “blackout” moment.
"Yeah, I yelled, 'This is my effin' house! Multiple times," Horschel said. "I didn't say 'effing,' though . . . "
"They picked up on that, Billy, I think," Thomas interjected.
"It was fun," Horschel continued. "That moment was awesome. Walking off the green, Rickie goes to me, that was like the '07 Walker Cup . . . Listen, blackout moments. I don't ever plan it. It just sort of happens."
After the commotion settled down, New York had a chance to tie the match on the 15th and final hole. But Cameron Young’s eagle chip barely missed.
A few minutes later, another loud noise interrupted NYGC’s post-match press conference. This time, there were explosions going off from a stage that had been wheeled out onto the playing surface for the presentation of the SoFi Cup by ESPN's Scott Van Pelt.
“This is what we call a loser’s shower right here,” Xander Schauffele deadpanned shortly before he and his teammates exited from the media center podium.
It looked like things were swinging toward Schauffele's squad earlier in the match, however, most notably during a bizarre eighth hole. Schauffele had thrown down the hammer as Justin Thomas lined up an 11-footer for par. The question was whether JT had already addressed the ball, leaving even Derrick Stafford, an NBA official with 31 years experience, perplexed. He signaled for a booth review, which let the hammer stand. And when Atlanta declined, New York grabbed a 2-0 lead.
Steve Cohen’s club led 3-0 with only four holes to play, but Arthur Blank's squad rallied with four points during a late three-hole stretch to keep from playing a deciding match on Tuesday night.
"It truly was a blast," Thomas said of playing in the simulator league's first season. "It's obviously easier probably for us to say taht than others, but we filled in very nicely for each other. I think we had a lot of faith, and it's just—it's a lot different than what we do week to week and the grind of the tour."
That difference was accentuated by Atlanta heaping praise on team coordinator, Ben Helmrath.
"He was critically important," Patrick Cantlay said. "He did his homework better than anybody. He was the mastermind behind all the hammer strategy and making sure we all were prepared for the holes."
But in the end, it still came down to getting that little white ball into the hole in the fewest strokes possible.
"Playing Thursday, Friday on the PGA Tour, not that I don't have focus, but it's sort of a bit harder," Horschel said. "You get me towards the weekend with a chance to win, I just sort of zone in a little easier and it's very similar to here, coming down playing singles and you're behind or even if you're leading and you need to do something special. I just sorta zone in a little bit more."
The PGA Tour rolls on, but TGL will take a break until 2026. While the impact of the league founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Mike McCarley will continue to be analyzed by media and fans, those involved have certainly enjoyed it thus far.
"I didn't necessarily ever leave a match or a time where it was anything but exciting and fun and really enjoyed it," Thomas said. "It's nice to be ending the season up here with the trophy and these guys."