Atlanta Drive GC 4, New York Golf Club 3
THE MODERATOR: Season champions for TGL presented by SoFi. You've got the SoFi Cup next to you. Billy, what a putt, what a moment. Just talk about what it meant, not only to make that putt, but to be standing here as champions of our first season.
BILLY HORSCHEL: Yeah, I walked up on the green, and I put my ball down. Next thing you know, there was a hammer thrown. I didn't know actually who threw the hammer; I didn't know if it was us or them, and I didn't understand why they would have thrown it, but realized it was us. And obviously debated it, and JT comes over and I said, listen, if they accept, I'm making this putt, and JT said, hey, I've got the perfect line on this. I asked him, I said, hey, where is this fall line, where do I need to die it, and he gave me the perfect read, and I did a great job of following his direction and the putt went in.
Then once again, a blackout moment happened. I don't think I slapped JT's hand or PC's, so I think I saved their hand at that point, but yeah, I went a little crazy, and it was a massive moment. Put it in PC's hands to close it out, and he does what he does. He's Patty Ice for a reason; he's got ice in his veins. It was unbelievable.
Q. Justin, as far as having fun in competition what was this season like and what does it mean to win?
JUSTIN THOMAS: It really was. I think we probably sound like a broken record, just not knowing what to expect, not just us on Atlanta Drive but just all the teams didn't know what to expect and how it would be.
But yeah, it truly was a blast. It's obviously easier probably for us to say that than others, but we filled in very nicely for each other. I think we had a lot of faith, and it's just -- it's a lot different than what we do week to week and the grind of the TOUR.
I didn't necessarily ever leave a match or a time where it was anything but exciting and fun and really enjoyed it. It's nice to be ending the season up here with the trophy and these guys.
Q. Justin, did you actually see the ball -- it took an S, the way it went. When the putt was in, it completely went -- I don't know if you've seen the replay. Did you see that?
JUSTIN THOMAS: I did, only because I had it. That's the beauty of a situation like this is I had -- that was similar -- similar putt that I had against Xander on I think was No. 10. I like finding the fall line, feel like I can do it decently well, but coincidentally I told Billy there was a piece of sand that I used for reference, and somehow that piece of sand was still there, and I hit mine a little harder than I wanted, and it obviously was high. So I was like, Billy, here's the piece of sand, this is the fall line, and I was like, I'm just going from experience of what happened to me a couple holes ago.
That was the easy part because I had already experienced. He did the hard part of actually executing it and hitting it on that line with the correct speed.
As soon as it was going down and kind of comes off and there's like a little bank there, it was going nowhere but the middle of the hole.
Q. Billy, your daughter became the star of the show because before singles, she said, you guys can win because you're better at singles, you can make a comeback. Did it sink in what she said to you or did you just say okay?
BILLY HORSCHEL: Yeah, listen, my kids are a trip. They have been enjoying this and being part of this. I think that was before we started singles and then we lose a hole and I think -- I was sitting next to PC, and I said, hey - I think it was with three holes or four holes left to go - I said, this is going to be an epic comeback, and it was. It was unbelievable.
I mean, I've had a lot of fun. I think we all have had a lot of fun. Like JT said, it sounds like a broken record.
Obviously it is a little bit of a challenge with everything we've got going through the year with our own schedules, but I don't think anyone has ever walked away and said this felt like a burden. It's just something new and exciting and we all enjoyed it. To walk away as champions with these guys is pretty cool.
Q. Billy, throughout your entire career, the amount of strokes gained dog you possess just flows through your veins unquantifiably. How do you do it so often with your back against the wall?
BILLY HORSCHEL: I don't know. Listen, I've always loved growing up as a kid playing baseball, other sports and having the moment being the one who has all the pressure and dictates how things are going to go. I've always enjoyed that. I've always for the most part thrived in that.
Listen, it just sort of focuses me more. Playing Thursday, Friday on the PGA TOUR, not that I don't have focus, but it's sort of a little bit harder. You get me towards the weekend with a chance to win, I just sort of zone in a little easier and it's very similar to here, coming down playing singles and you're behind or even if you're leading and you need to do something special, I just sorta zone in a little bit more.
Yeah, I don't have any explanation, I've just always enjoyed it, and I think that's what makes it -- why I've been successful.
Q. Billy, you said you blacked out, but is there anything that you remember that you yelled in that moment, and where does it rank as far as you going crazy on a golf course? Where does that rank in your career?
BILLY HORSCHEL: Yeah, I yelled, This is my effin' house, multiple times. I didn't say effing, so --
JUSTIN THOMAS: They picked up on that, Billy, I think.
BILLY HORSCHEL: Just wanna make sure. Hopefully Jeff hit that little delay button a little bit.
It was fun. That moment was awesome. Walking off the green, Rickie goes to me, he's like, that was like the '07 Walker Cup. We played together in the foursomes matches, and there was a couple moments that I was pretty boisterous, and one of them was on Sunday I hit a great bunker shot 30 yards away, and it was looking like it was going out, and I came out like a gazelle running down the hill thinking it was going to go in and yelling and everything.
Yeah, I've done some crazy -- these guys are laughing at it.
Listen, blackout moments. I don't ever plan it. It just sort of happens.
I'll just stop talking now.
Q. Did any of you guys when you got the first phone call about this really imagine or envision that it could have turned into something this fun, this spectacular? Any of you guys have any inkling towards what this would turn into?
BILLY HORSCHEL: No. Patrick is looking at me. I remember Mike calling me in early '22, I think somewhere around March or something, maybe April, and describing what this was going to be, and I said yes pretty quickly. Didn't need a lot of convincing.
No, I could never imagine what this was going to be. I remember coming into the arena in November and walking out and I was just in awe. I couldn't imagine what I was seeing. I described it like a football player walking into Mercedes-Benz stadium right about to play, a basketball player walking out -- Steph Curry walking out at Oracle Arena, stuff like that.
Never imagined we'd be playing golf in an arena with a big simulator and people and music and chanting. Yeah, it's been really cool and has sort of exceeded all of our expectations.
Q. Seemed like the hammer was a secret weapon for you guys, especially as we got later into the season. Patrick, especially tonight, you guys really flipped it by using the hammer. Talk through some of that strategy and how you were a key part of that.
PATRICK CANTLAY: Sure. Well, you can only really use the hammer when you get up in holes. We didn't get up in very many holes until the end, and we obviously needed to throw them before we got to the end of the match; you can't leave hammers in your pocket preferably.
So when we got up in those holes coming down the stretch, we threw the hammer I think at the right time and got a couple concessions and got us back in the match, and obviously when Billy makes every putt he hits for two points, that's pretty helpful.
Q. For any of you, obviously a new league. You guys want to beat your friends in anything that you do. But any of you guys surprised at how much emotion you felt about this experience and going through it? Obviously it being new, you don't know how deeply it's going to resonate. Did any of that surprise you, how deeply you cared?
JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, definitely. For sure. It's the same stuff we've been saying. It really is. We don't know how it's going to be. Triples, is it like -- it's something that you kind of would run into if you have an odd number or weird number of players at the course and you're just trying to figure out a game and you're like, let's just do three-person alternate shot. It's just nothing we've ever played. So all of it just kind of fit the situation pretty well of like, if we're doing something different, let's do something different.
Yeah, nobody could -- at least I couldn't, I would think nobody could have at the beginning of the season or even a year or two years ago could have seen something like this. But obviously that's why all the people that are involved are a lot smarter than us and they're good at that for a reason, and we're just fortunate that we're the ones that happen to play golf and get to be a part of it.
Q. I'm curious, I know the money is nice, the trophy is lovely and the moment in front of all the fans is great, but what's the best part if not the bragging rights until we tip this thing off again next year about being able to do this in the dramatic fashion you did, especially with it being the inaugural championship?
LUCAS GLOVER: Get good drinks in the owner's box.
JUSTIN THOMAS: I feel a little better about asking Arthur for stuff now.
BILLY HORSCHEL: I think, like I said, we sound like a broken record, we've said it after pretty much every match. It is just really cool to be a part of something with these guys. Team competitions are special. I've only been a part of one, the Presidents Cup in '22. You hear the stories. You hear how fun it is. Obviously it's more exciting when you win a team competition, there's no doubt, but spending time with these guys, obviously I know them very well, but just being in something that is competitive, you feel energy, you feel the nerves, it just brings you closer together.
I enjoy being with these guys and it's been an absolute blast. That's what I would take away from it before we won is just how fun I've had this entire year with all three of these guys playing, and looking forward to more of it in the future.
Q. Patrick, strategy seemed to be the success of your team. How important was Ben to your overall success?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah. He was critically important. I mean, Ben was out here earlier than any of us rolling balls on the green. He did his homework better than anybody. He was the mastermind behind all the hammer strategy and making sure we all were prepared for the holes.
This game is a little different in that you can come and practice the exact hole that you're going to play that day, and every time we showed up for practice, Ben was so much more prepared than any of us that he just made it so easy for us to prepare and get ready for our matches. He was a pleasure to be with all year, and he was a very integral part of our team.
Q. Have you guys introduced Ben to Keegan Bradley?
PATRICK CANTLAY: No, but maybe we should.
Q. Lucas, you went 6 of 6, hit 100 percent of your fairways this year. Will that record ever be broken? 100 percent driving accuracy in TGL?
LUCAS GLOVER: If I play next year I'll probably hit it a little shorter because I'll be 46, so I'd better hit it in the fairway.
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