TGL: LA Golf Club, Tony Finau rally from 4-0 deficit to claim victory, playoff berth

He who masters the flat stick has an edge in TGL. But he who throws the hammer at the right moment wins TGL. LA Golf Club, down 4-0, rallied for a late, dramatic overtime win over New York Golf Club in the first of two Monday night TGL matchups. The match was a crushing defeat for New York, which had finally found its putting stroke and seemed ready to get itself back into the playoff conversation before LA's late charge.

New York's Rickie Fowler started the scoring on the very first hole, draining the longest TGL putt in the history of humanity at 36 feet, seven inches:

New York would go on to claim four points throughout the opening triples session, as Fowler, Matt Fitzpatrick and Cameron Young were dialed in on the live green. New York took that 4-0 lead into the singles matches ... where TGL's new hammer rules kicked into play.

With just four holes remaining, LA's Sahith Theegala drained a 28-footer to finally put L.A. on the board:

Tony Finau joined LA on a "one-match contract," stepping in for the unavailable Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood. He needed a bit of time to adjust to the TGL format, but in his singles matchup on the 13th hole against Young, Finau dialed in. He threw the hammer pre-drive to make the hole worth 2 points, and proceeded to stick his approach to within 10 feet of the hole. After Young's approach slid by, Finau drained the putt to claim two points and pull LA within a point of New York, 4-3, with two to play.

Collin Morikawa followed that up by putting his tee shot on the par-3 14th within six feet of the pin. Fitzpatrick couldn't quite match that, and after Morikawa holed the putt, the match was tied at 4 apiece heading to the final hole. Neither Theegala nor Fowler were able to convert eagle putts, and the match went to overtime.

TGL's overtime format is a closest-to-the-pin scenario, with the first team scoring two shots closer to the pin claiming the victory. Los Angeles won both of the first two duels — one by only inches — clinching the match and a spot in the playoffs.

Celebrities in attendance in the first session of Monday's doubleheader included Serena Williams, LA co-owner; Eli Manning, New York co-owner; and pros Luke Clanton, Jason Day and Xander Schauffele. Boston Common and Atlanta Drive are scheduled to tee it up later Monday evening.