Tiger Woods could hardly contain his excitement after his hometown Jupiter Island GC team muscled their way into next week’s TGL Final.
TWs side will face rival the Los Angeles GC team to decide the 2026 SoFi Cup champions.
The TGL semifinals delivered high drama with Los Angeles Golf Club (LAGC) defeating Atlanta Drive GC t o advance.
Semifinals Match 1 recap: @atlantadrivegc vs. @WeAreLAGC pic.twitter.com/7v3LZEJzDH
— TGL (@TGL) March 18, 2026
LAs Tommy Fleetwood was pivotal, sinking a crucial putt to help secure the win (final score details point to LAGC’s strong performance, building on their regular-season momentum as the No. 2 seed with standout play from Fleetwood, Justin Rose, and Collin Morikawa). This sets up LAGC for their shot at the title after a solid playoff push.
In the second semifinal: Jupiter Links GC edged out Boston Common Golf (led by Rory McIlroy) in a thrilling comeback victory to punch their ticket to the finals.
Max Homa emerged as the hero, delivering a clutch putt in the closing moments—famously celebrated with a “night-night” gesture (inspired by Steph Curry’s iconic celebration). Homa went on a tear, winning multiple consecutive singles holes to flip the match. In post-match reflections captured in highlights and social clips, Homa called the night “the greatest night ever” in reference to team momentum (tying back to earlier heroics like Tom Kim’s ace that helped clinch their playoff spot, but amplified by this semifinal drama).
Semifinals Match 2 recap: @JupiterLinksGC vs. @commongolf pic.twitter.com/2YoDvFFFiO
— TGL (@TGL) March 18, 2026
There cheering on the home side was Tiger, though not always in the lineup but providing vital leadership vibes, with the team emphasizing resilience and big-moment execution.
“It was the greatest night ever… That was unreal”, said Homa.
The finals are set: Jupiter Links GC vs. Los Angeles Golf Club in a best-of-three series at SoFi Center.
– Match 1: Monday, March 23 – 6:00 PM PDT / 9:00 PM EDT (on ESPN/ESPN2)
– Match 2: Tuesday, March 24 – 4:00 PM PDT / 7:00 PM EDT (on ESPN)
– Match 3 (if needed): Later on March 24
Los Angeles Golf Club (LAGC) defeated Atlanta Drive GC 6-4 in the opening semifinal (6:30 p.m. ET start). With Collin Morikawa sidelined by a back issue, Justin Rose, Sahith Theegala, and Tommy Fleetwood stepped up in a huge way, rallying from down 4-1 to score five straight points. Clutch putting, smart hammer strategy (especially on hole 14 and the final hole), and zero-panic composure under pressure sealed the comeback and sent LAGC to the finals as the No. 2 seed.
Key quotes from LAGC’s post-semifinal press conference.
– Sahith Theegala on Tommy Fleetwood’s genius final-hole hammer call:
“Yeah, it was all Tommy. I mean, he made it clear that we had a hammer and we’re probably going to tie [the] hole if Billy made [his] putt and I made [mine] throw the hammer regardless… And yeah, it was just a great call by Tommy. I wasn’t even thinking about it, really. But it was genius.”
On holing the decisive 5-footer and the team emotion:
“But it was a tricky 5-footer… holing that putt being able to look at the boys and know that we made it to the final, that was awesome. That’s what it’s all about. And it’s just great playing as a team and especially with the team that we’ve got.”
On FaceTiming Collin Morikawa after the win:
“Yeah, you know, honestly, Collin is… I’ve known Collin my whole life. We both grew up in L.A…. It was great to see him after, and he was pumped… Rosie was saying, ‘Make sure you don’t throw your back out fist pumping too hard.’ But it’s really cool to get it done for him as well, because he’s a huge part of this team… it’s really nice to see the payout of what we’ve shown making it to the finals.”
– Tommy Fleetwood on Justin Rose’s putting and the hammer decision:
“It’s nice. Yeah, he has a way with the ones… I love watching him go through his process… He hit them with unbelievable pace and freedom… So it’s always a pleasure having that on your side.”
On Billy Horschel’s frustration and the strategic thinking:
“But yeah (laughing), it just felt like the right thing to do… like Billy’s shown his frustration that it obviously gave them a pretty tough decision to make at the right time.”
– Justin Rose on team resilience and handling pressure:
“I think it just shows the quality that we have as a team… you have to trust the way golf and you have to trust the team. Just good golf. And there’s no magic. Just good attitude… tonight was just a little bit more, no panic, just patience and calmness under pressure… we’re still learning as a team of what we’re capable of really as well.”
From Atlanta Drive GC (post-loss reflections):
– Billy Horschel on the hammer on 14 and TGL’s demands:
“No, they’re not getting injured… it’s a time commitment… We’ve all understood that this league had two years… Everybody’s bought in.”
On staying sharp:
“I think staying sharp… hitting shots under pressure… this is probably a better situation than us three playing a little money game… you have a chance to win a tournament, you felt those nerves already.”
– Chris Gotterup (alternate who played five matches):
“Yeah, mean, it was awesome. I was only supposed to play one match, and ended up playing five… I’ve enjoyed every part of it, even the losing… It’s been a fun experience… fun playing with these guys.”
Jupiter Links GC upset Boston Common Golf 9-5 in the late semifinal (9 p.m. ET start), knocking off the No. 1 seed (Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott) with a fast, consistent performance. Max Homa, Tom Kim, and Akshay Bhatia led the charge (Tiger Woods providing leadership off the course after back surgery), capped by Homa’s clutch closing putt celebrated with a viral “night-night” gesture (Steph Curry-style) to seal the finals berth.
- Copy with thanks TGL
