Fleetwood beats Lowry to TGL top spot after comeback win

Tommy Fleetwood claimed bragging rights over Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry after helping Los Angeles Golf Club to a comeback victory over The Bay in their top-of-the-table TGL clash.

Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala came back from three down after eight holes to claim an impressive 5-3 victory over Lowry, Wyndham Clark and Min Woo Lee at the SoFI Center in Florida.

Los Angeles used The Hammer - doubling the value of a hole if accepted - to secure the ninth and final hole of the triples format, before fighting back in the singles to end The Bay's 100 per cent start to the TGL season.

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The result sees Los Angeles end the regular season top of the SoFi Cup standings on nine points from their five matches, while The Bay dropped to second place heading into the season-ending play-offs later this month.

How Los Angeles claimed comeback victory

After a scrappy opening hole was halved in bogeys, Lowry drained an 18-foot putt at the par-five second to match the birdie putt conceded for Los Angeles.

Fleetwood failed to convert birdie putts from inside eight feet over each of the next two holes, where Lee made both of his efforts to win both holes and give The Bay an early advantage.

The league leaders extended their lead when Clark threatened a hole-in-one albatross at the par-four sixth, where they threw The Hammer - doubling the value of the hole - and saw it declined by Los Angeles.

Clark hit his tee shot at the par-five ninth out of bounds, which allowed Los Angeles GC to get a hole back when Theegala found the fairway and threw The Hammer, cutting The Bay's lead to two heading into the singles.

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An aggressive use of The Hammer by The Bay backfired during the first hole of singles, as Lee sprayed his second shot into the water and allowed Los Angeles to claim the two points required to level the match.

Theegala chipped in from off the green to snatch the par-three 12th with a birdie and move Los Angeles ahead for the first time, as Clark missed his putt to level the hole, while Fleetwood chipped in from off the green to scramble a dramatic birdie at the par-four next.

Lowry was unable to make the most of The Hammer at the par-three 14th, failing to convert his birdie try from around 12 feet, while Theegala got up and down from the greenside bunker at the par-five 15th to wrap up victory and extend the winning margin with a closing birdie.

The Bay set for second after 'worst day'

"I feel like we had our worst match," Clark said after The Bay's first loss. "We gave away holes which we haven't done at all the previous matches, then we missed some putts. We missed some drives - we really had our worst day, yet we were still in it.

"Going into the Playoffs, I feel like we have a lot of momentum because I feel like we're still one of the best teams, if not the best team, and hopefully, we get a W and get in the championship."

Theegala, speaking about the comeback victory, added: "We were playing well and we just weren't making the putts. We hit it closer on a lot of the holes and they're obviously a great team, but I felt like as long as we kept hitting it that way, that the momentum was going to switch.

"We just kept hammering it down and I feel like we didn't give away any holes. One of their Hammers bit them. We double hammered and they declined, so getting two points on that was huge."

What's next?

Los Angeles Golf Club will take on the team that finishes fourth in the SoFi Cup standings, while The Bay Golf Club will face Atlanta Drive GC in the other semi-final. Those matches take place on March 17 (March 18, 12am UK time) and March 18 (March 19, 12am UK time), before the Finals Series is held the following week.

New York Golf Club, Tiger Woods' Jupiter Links GC and Rory McIlroy's Boston Common GC are the three teams chasing the final spot, with the regular season concluding when Jupiter Links GC face Atlanta Drive on Tuesday (Wednesday, 12am UK time).

Who will win the inaugural TGL season and the SoFi Cup? Watch every match of the 2025 and 2026 seasons exclusively live on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.