Home Sports Billy Horschel leads Atlanta Drive GC to TGL shutout win with chain, ‘Dirty Bird’ alongside Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay

Billy Horschel leads Atlanta Drive GC to TGL shutout win with chain, ‘Dirty Bird’ alongside Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay

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Billy Horschel leads Atlanta Drive GC to TGL shutout win with chain, 'Dirty Bird' alongside Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay

Patrick Cantlay seemed like a bit of the odd man out Tuesday night in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

The calm demeanor he’s had throughout his entire golf career didn’t necessarily mesh with the flashing lights, loud fans and high-tech golf simulators that make up the SoFi Center. He came out behind Billy Horschel, who pulled out a huge silver chain from under his shirt and began dancing to “Dirty Bird” moments before, without much of a smile.

But Cantlay, Justin Thomas said later during the game, “is our voice of reason.” He even stopped them from throwing a hammer at one point, because “it can only hurt us”, which left Thomas incredibly disappointed on the final green. But that seemed to pay off for Atlanta trio Drive GC.

They posted a very solid 4-0 shutout victory over Rickie Fowler and New York Golf Club on Tuesday in the third week of the TGL season. That brought them to 1-0 on the year, while NYGC fell to 0-2. It was the first goalless match in TGL history.

NYGC’s struggles after its first-week loss (Bay Golf Club posted a 9-2 victory in the inaugural event earlier this month) largely continued this week. Cameron Young missed the landing zone on the hourglass-themed hole to start the night, causing them to fall behind instantly, and then Fowler skipped the green on the fourth hole to land in the bunker. Atlanta then increased their lead to two after an approach by Thomas left them with about six feet on the sixth hole.

Atlanta took a 2-0 lead in the three-point section of the night.

Thomas had the advantage over Young in both of his singles holes. He tapped for birdie on the par-5 10th, and then holed a drive at the 13th (although Young still managed to beat it) to set up a deep birdie putt that echoed off the back of the hole and left Thomas grimacing. green to tie.

Horschel did the same in the 11th after Matt Fitzpatrick landed in a pair of bunkers and took a penalty, increasing Atlanta’s lead to four. Those two tied on the 14th. Cantlay, after tying Fowler on his first hole, stayed even on the last to secure his shutout victory. They made 65-foot putts all night.

While it may not have been as exciting as the new company’s first two weeks were, Thomas and his Atlanta team took care of business Tuesday night. Tiger Woods will lead the way next week in his second match of the season.

Regardless, the Atlanta team is off to a great start. And Cantlay, despite his slow start amid the excitement of TGL, rocked the chain by the end of the night. That dance, however, will have to wait.

“I knew JT would do it with me,” Horschel said on ESPN before hitting the Dirty Bird once again. “If I could get PC to put him on…he’s a team player. He always is and always will be.”

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