New York Golf Club suffered their second consecutive defeat when they lost 4-0 to debutants, Atlanta Drive Golf Club on Tuesday night. Atlanta Drive GC’s lineup consisted of former FedExCup champions Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, and Billy Horschel. This was their first match in the new tech-infused team league.
Questions are now being raised about New York GC following another loss. Rickie Fowler, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Cameron Young started in Tuesday night’s defeat while Justin Thomas ran the show on his TGL debut to lead Atlanta to a comfortable victory in their season opener.
New York Golf Club Must Answer
Atlanta Drive GC made easy work of New York GC, securing a comprehensive victory after winning the first two singles holes. This was a damaging defeat for New York GC who entered the match with high hopes of bouncing back after defeat to Bay Golf Club but instead set an unwanted record as they became the first team not to score at least a point in a TGL match.
Thomas Stars to Pile More Misery on New York GC
Justin Thomas doubled his side’s lead in the sixth hole after he knocked Patrick Cantlay’s approach to six feet and Billy Horschel held the putt. Cantlay had earlier missed an opportunity to win the fifth for his side after failing to convert a 15-foot putt. Nevertheless, Atlanta Drive led 2-0 heading into the singles with the remainder of the holes tied in the triple session.
Cantlay couldn’t convert a 15-foot putt to win the fifth but saw his side double their lead on the sixth when Thomas hit his approach to six feet and Horschel holed the putt, with the remainder of the holes tied in the triples session to leave Atlanta Drive 2-0 up heading into singles.
Cameron Young, who replaced the injured Xander Schauffele in the line-up, failed to get up and down to match the birdie of Thomas at the tenth. To make matters worse, Matt Fitzpatrick conceded the 11th against Horschel after finding water with his second and then hitting his next two shots into bunkers.
Fowler Admits New York GC Needs To Play Better
Atlanta Drive’s win over New York GC earned them two points, moving them joint-top of the SoFi Cup standings. However, New York GC currently languish in the bottom of the six-team league after a second straight loss. They now face a tough challenge to qualify for the season-ending playoffs.
Speaking after the match, Rickie Fowler admitted that two consecutive losses were concerning. “We’ve just got to find a way to play better than the other team,” he said. “We’ve gotten outplayed both times. I don’t think we played very poorly, other than our first hole.
“We got off to a rough start, but other than that, there’s no blame here. I missed the green with a chip. Yeah, we dug ourselves a small hole, but I felt like we played quite well from there. But the big thing is we have to find a way to hole some putts,” the 38-year old concluded
His teammate, Cameron Young echoed his sentiments: “I think the game was really fun,” the American said. “Obviously not the result that we wanted, but I feel like it was the best golf I’ve seen compares to the other two matches and ours tonight. It was a blast, and I think we’ll do better next time.”
New York GC next play on February 18 against Jupiter Links. Fans and neutrals will be watching to see if they can bounce back and do better than they did in the previous two matches.
