TGL playoffs: Key aspects to observe in the title contest

If the initial rounds of the NCAA tournament did not elevate your excitement with enough surprises, the best-of-three finals of TGL’s SoFi Cup commencing Monday night could deliver some suspense.

In the semifinals held last week, No. 4 seed Jupiter Links GC shocked No. 1 seed Boston Common Golf with a 9-5 victory, eliminating reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy from the playoffs.

No. 2 seed Los Angeles Golf Club overcame a 4-1 deficit after seven holes to defeat defending SoFi Cup champion Atlanta Drive GC 6-4 in the first semifinal match.

“I believe it demonstrates the caliber we possess as a team, the quality of golfers we have,” stated LA Golf Club’s Justin Rose. “And just the confidence that, over time, the theory of large numbers will eventually work in your favor. You need to maintain that mindset, trust the team, and have faith in the golf.”

Jupiter GC had a challenging inaugural TGL season in 2025, finishing with a 1-4 record and securing only two points, leading injured star Tiger Woods to refer to them as the “Bad News Bears.”

“Look at what we accomplished last year,” Woods remarked last week. “Sure, we mishit a bunker shot, nearly hit a spectator in the stands. We struck the flag. I had a shot-clock violation on a 4-footer. We encountered some unusual situations.

“That’s Bad News Bears behavior. But now the Bad News Bears can compete.”

How to watch the 2026 TGL playoffs, championship on ESPN

Match 1 starting lineups

No. 2 seed Los Angeles Golf Club

Justin Rose
Tommy Fleetwood
Sahith Theegala

No. 4 seed Jupiter Links Golf Club

Max Homa
Tom Kim
Kevin Kisner

LA Golf Club (Collin Morikawa, Rose, and Theegala) triumphed over Jupiter Links (Akshay Bhatia, Homa, and Kisner) 8-4 in their regular-season encounter on January 20.

LA Golf Club established a 4-1 lead in triples, but Jupiter Golf Links fought back to narrow the gap to 5-4 heading into the 14th hole. Jupiter made a significant move on the tee, doubling the points at stake, and Morikawa converted a 17-foot birdie putt to extend the lead to 7-4.

This match featured the only albatross in TGL history when Rose holed his second shot from 227 yards on No. 10 (Sterling) while competing against Homa in singles.

Jupiter Links Golf Club has excelled in singles matches this season, amassing a league-high 16 points. It has also been one of the top putting teams in TGL, achieving a 72.7% success rate on attempts from within 10 feet.

LA Golf Club has shown superior performance in triples, winning 18 holes for 20 points. LA has also demonstrated greater distance off the tee, averaging 317.9 yards.

The course

No. 1: Temple (par 4, 473 yards)
No. 2: Caverns (par 5, 569 yards)
No. 3: Set In Stone (par 3, 166 yards)
No. 4: The Jup Life (par 5, TBD yards)
No. 5: Fallen Pine (par 3, 164 yards)
No. 6: Loot on the Line (par 4, 377 yards)
No. 7: On the Rocks (par 3, 108 yards)
No. 8: Stinger (par 4, 416 yards)
No. 9: Showtime (par 5, TBD yards)
No. 10: Sterling (par 5, 535 yards)
No. 11: Alpine (par 4, 535 yards)
No. 12: Cenote (par 3, 264 yards)
No. 13: Cut the Sails (par 4, 337 yards)
No. 14: Cliffhanger (par 3, 151 yards)
No. 15: Stone & Steeple (par 5, 537 yards)

Course notes

No. 7 (On the Rocks): This par 3, which will be played during the triples segment of the first finals match, is likely Kim’s favorite. He achieved the second-ever ace in TGL history in a regular-season victory over The Bay Golf Club on March 3, hitting his tee shot past the flag and spinning it back into the hole.

In last week’s win against Boston Common, Kim placed his tee shot to two feet, three inches, setting up a birdie that extended Jupiter Links’ lead to 7-3.

Homa and Rose will tee off on No. 7 on Monday night.

No. 8 (Stinger): Named after Jupiter Links “coach” Tiger Woods’ renowned screaming low drive, players must hit their drives lower than 50 feet to clear a natural rock formation that intrudes into the driving area.

Throughout the SoFi Cup semifinals, the Stinger hole recorded the highest number of drives landing in penalty areas (six), including one by Theegala.

Kim and Fleetwood will tee off on No. 8 on Monday night. According to TGL, Fleetwood had two of the three drives with the lowest apex on Stinger this season, including a 318.3-yard drive that was just 9.1 feet off the ground.

“It’s the simplest shot for me to hit low and carry it far enough,” Fleetwood stated last week. “I enjoy practicing that shot. I often hit a similar shot on the golf course, resembling a bullet driver, but obviously not with that minus-one degree launch angle.”

No. 12 (Cenote): The longest par 3 on the course, Cenote features a backstop that golfers can utilize to bring their tee shots closer to the hole.

Jupiter Golf Links has excelled on No. 12 with a 5-0-1 record. LA Golf Club has not performed as well, holding a 1-4-1 record.

Kisner and Theegala will tee off on No. 12 on Monday night. Kisner defeated Theegala in singles during the last encounter between the teams after Theegala’s tee shot landed in a penalty area.

No. 14 (Cliffhanger): This par 3 is one of three holes where LA Golf Club has excelled this season. LA went 2-0-0 on No. 6 (Loot on the Line), 3-0-0 on No. 13 (Cut the Sails), and 3-0-1 on No. 14.

LA Golf Club hit the green in all nine instances it played those holes this season.

Justin Rose made the longest putt (15 feet, 10 inches) on No. 13 this season.

SoFi Cup finals schedule

Match 1: Monday, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2 and ESPN+)
Match 2: Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN and ESPN+)
Match 3: Tuesday 9 p.m. ET* (ESPN and ESPN+)
*If necessary