RADIO
TourPicks offers a preview of TGL Match 5 between the Los Angeles Golf Club and Boston Common Golf. Insight and analysis into TGL strategy, holes, betting lines, and picks to win for Match #5 of TGL golf.
After a week off the schedule, TGL is set to host four important matches over the course of two days, beginning with all day affair on Monday, Presidents Day, with a triple header. Matches will take place in the Sofi Center at 1 PM ET, 4 PM ET, and 7 PM ET, all broadcasting live on ESPN.
On Monday, the Atlanta Drive, Los Angeles Golf Club, The Bay Golf Club, and the Boston Common will all compete. Several featured players are in the running for victory at the Genesis Invitational but will need to board a flight to Palm Beach quickly post-round.
With three matches on tap, there's a lot to quickly digest to get you prepared for Monday. I've got you covered, and here is everything you need to know for Matches #6-8 of the season.
Match 6 : 1 PM ET - ESPN
Atlanta Drive (1-0)
Player 1: Billy Horschel
Player 2: Patrick Cantlay
Player 3: Justin Thomas
Los Angeles Golf Club (2-0)
Player 1: Justin Rose
Player 2: Tommy Fleetwood
Player 3: Sahith Theegala
NEW HAMMER RULES
This week we received the news that TGL has revised it's Hammer rules. Now, each team will start with 3 hammers, an improvement to the previous format and shows that the league is open-to and listening-to feedback. Golf Clap!
Happy Valentine’s Day, updated Hammer rules starting Monday. 💘
🔨🔨🔨 🆚🔨🔨🔨 pic.twitter.com/BtaSTcbNJG
— TGL (@TGL) February 14, 2025
The Rundown
As the season continues to evolve, I'm starting to get familiar with certain holes, and so are the players. It's nothing out of the ordinary, but the biggest thing is understanding where "NOT" to miss it. Again we have several long holes, so hitting the greens are extremely difficult.
The teams who effectively navigate around the bunkers and avoid a direct line that brings the giant plateau on the green into play is key to having success. Also, the little patch of Bermuda rough has definitely proven more difficult than I anticipated.
Sterling, a 554-yard par 5 that will play as the 4th hole of the night, will make it's TGL debut. Intentionally shaped like a sword, the holes presents options with two, equally sized fairways that is split by a bunker that is over 350 yards long. Horschel and Rose will hit the tee shots on this hole. It looks like a fun one.
The Betting Line
Atlanta Drive -125 vs. LAGC -105
The 1st place Los Angeles Golf Club team will put its 2-0 record on the line as an underdog on Monday afternoon against the Atlanta Drive. L.A. will be without their highest-ranked player in Collin Morikawa, but this team has great depth and has won 15 holes in just two matches.
The next-best team has only won eight holes. They have been dominant, mostly because they are the team that has figured out the unfamiliar surface of the TGL gree. They are 11-for-13 on making putts from inside 10 feet, best in the league thus far.
The area which Atlanta was able to achieve success in their first match was with precision iron play. They hit 11 out of 15 greens in regulation in their opening match. If Atlanta can avoid the hazards and hit fairways, they are going to be a tough out as I think this is the best approach team in the league and they have three great putters as well.
Here are the stat profiles for the players competing in Match 6.
Match 7 : 4 PM ET - ESPN
Atlanta Drive (1-0)
Player 1: Patrick Cantlay
Player 2: Lucas Glover
Player 3: Justin Thomas
The Bay Golf Club (1-0)
Player 1: Wyndham Clark
Player 2: Ludvig Aberg
Player 3: Min Woo Lee
The Rundown
Atlanta will make their first roster substitution of the season as Lucas Glover will be inserted into the lineup for their second match of the day, while Billy Horschel takes a seat on the bench for this one. The Bay counters by swapping in Min Woo to play along Ludvig Aberg and Wyndham Clark, effectively making this the longest-hitting team in TGL.
We will once again see Sterling utilized in this match. This time, it will be the 10th hole which is played in the singles format between Cantlay and Clark. Clark leads TGL in average driving distance this season, averaging 333.1 yards off the tee.
Given the distance advantage that The Bay has, I believe Atlanta is fortunate that this course setup is short by TGL standards. All five of the par 5s play under 579 yards, and we know TGL has several holes over 600 yards. Also, the par 3s are the shortest I can remember. Four of them are under 190 yards.
The Betting Line
The Bay -125 vs. Atlanta Drive -105
On the whole, The Bay Golf Club being the longest team in TGL is a massive advantage in this simulator golf format. However, given the course setup for Match 7, their normal advantage has been de-emphasized on this setup and after reviewing the holes, I think this is more of a test of accuracy for this particular match.
I also believe that playing your second match of the day is an advantage. How much is hard to say, but fatigue certainly won't be an issue given the alt-shot format of the league. These players were just putting on the incredibly quick and slopey POA greens at Torrey Pines, now they have to putt on the artificial nuanced surface of TGL. Playing that first match right before this will help Atlanta.
Justin Thomas should be able to care of Min Woo Lee, and the same can be said about Ludwig Aberg likely beating Lucas Glover. This matchup comes down to Cantlay vs. Clark for me. Team format, putting contest, and a course setup that leaves very little room for error leads me to be confident in backing Atlanta in this matchup as an underdog.
I'm taking ATL +105 (via Betonline.ag)
Match 8 : 7 PM ET - ESPN2
Boston Common (0-1-1)
Player 1: Keegan Bradley
Player 2: Rory McIlroy
Player 3: Hideki Matsuyama
The Bay Golf Club (1-0)
Player 1: Shane Lowry
Player 2: Ludvig Aberg
Player 3: Wyndham Clark
The Rundown
The Boston Common, featuring TGL Co-founder Rory McIlroy and the best collective roster in the league, desperately need a win to avoid going winless in their first three matches. It won't be easy, as The Bay swaps in Shane Lowry and goes back to their roster that dominated New York in their opening match.
Adam Scott struggled a bit in their first two matches, so Boston will insert the #5 ranked player in the world, Hidek Matsuyama, What a luxury to have a talent like Hideki on the bench, but I think it's fair to question if he may struggle a bit in TGL. He had this so say earlier this week about his preparation for Monday night...
Sometimes the less you know about something the better. And if that’s true, Hideki Matsuyama will set records at his TGL debut next week.https://t.co/cSmCVMdyna
— Australian Golf Digest (@GolfDigestAU) February 13, 2025
It will be fun seeing McIlroy vs. Aberg take on The Spear, and have to go toe-to-toe against each other with the Driver. McIlroy is averaging 321 yards off the tee through two matches, but the big thing is that he's hitting the fairway 87% of the time!
The Betting Line
The Bay -120 vs. Boston Common -110
This match features two teams that I made my favorites before the season. I loved the upside value of The Bay, but I thought Boston was the team to beat. They come into this match featuring two of the top five players on the planet! Their third man is no slouch either, Keegan Bradley is ranked #13 in the OWGR and hit several big shots in their first couple of matches.
I think this is a tight match that ultimately comes down to effective use of the "new" hammer rules. I think the savvy move here is to not rush making a bet, as I don't have a strong enough lean on either side. I want to see how The Bay plays in their first match of the night since we have not seen them play in TGL in so long.
I'm waiting but will post and tweet my pick before it starts if I have a side.
Thanks for reading and enjoy TGL P-DAY!
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