Theegala and Fleetwood Chip In as Los Angeles Rallies Past The Bay 5-3 for TGL's No. 1 Seed

Down 3-0 after eight holes, with a win probability of 23 percent heading into Singles, Los Angeles Golf Club did the thing it has quietly become very good at. It waited for one opening, swung the Hammer at exactly the right moment and never looked back. Los Angeles beat The Bay Golf Club 5-3 on Monday, March 3, 2025, at SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., handing The Bay its first loss and locking up the No. 1 seed for the first TGL playoffs.

Sahith Theegala chipped in for the lead, Tommy Fleetwood chipped in to protect it and Collin Morikawa kept the whole thing steady. For the second straight week, Los Angeles turned a deficit that looked terminal into a win.

Dr. Puttinski Takes Over Early

This was a matchup of the league's two best records. The Bay arrived 4-0 off a double Hammer win over Jupiter Links. Los Angeles came in 3-0-1 with a playoff spot already clinched. Los Angeles went with Fleetwood, Morikawa and Theegala, with Tony Finau and Justin Rose sitting. The Bay rolled out Min Woo Lee, Shane Lowry and Wyndham Clark, with Ludvig Åberg not playing. Serena Williams, a Los Angeles co-owner, was in the building.

For most of the Triples session, it was Lee's show. On the third hole, the par 3 TGL calls Cliffhanger, Lee rolled in a birdie putt from 13 feet, 3 inches, and Lowry celebrated by grabbing the flag. One hole later, on The Spear, Lee holed an 8-footer for another birdie and a 2-0 lead. TGL's social account, which had already christened Lee Dr. Chipinski, upgraded the nickname on the spot to Dr. Puttinski.

Then Clark nearly stole the night. On the drivable par-4 sixth, Clark's tee shot came within inches of a hole-in-one and rolled out to about 10 feet, setting up an eagle look. The Bay threw the Hammer. Los Angeles, staring at a 10-footer for eagle, declined and conceded the point. The Bay led 3-0, and through eight holes it still did.

The Hammer That Flipped It

Los Angeles finally got on the board on the ninth, the par-5 Quick Draw. Clark's tee shot found the penalty area, Theegala had split the fairway, and Los Angeles threw the Hammer. The Bay declined, giving Los Angeles the point and a 3-1 score at the turn.

Morikawa contributed his share of quality too, including a bunker shot that settled about three feet from the hole. But quality shots had not been turning into points, and Los Angeles still needed a lot to go right in Singles. It got it on the very first hole. Fleetwood, matched against Lee on the 10th, hit a poor tee shot, and Lee threw the Hammer immediately. Los Angeles accepted. "I hit a poor tee shot and Min Woo threw the hammer, and we had to accept it at that point," Fleetwood said.

Then the hole turned. Lee's second shot went into the penalty area, and Los Angeles threw the Hammer right back. The Bay declined, conceding two points on a hole it had been trying to win for two. The match was suddenly tied 3-3. That single hole was the hinge of the night.

Two Chip-Ins

With the match level, Theegala delivered the shot that will live on Los Angeles highlight reels. On the 12th, from 20 feet, 2 inches off the green, Theegala chipped in for birdie to give Los Angeles a 4-3 lead, its first lead of the night. Theegala's father was watching from the crowd. "I'll keep chipping in whenever I can," Theegala said afterward.

The Bay nearly answered on the 13th. Lee's tee shot bounced onto the green, tracked toward the cup and stopped 4 inches away, about as close as you can get to an ace without one. That looked like a tie, and possibly a turn in momentum. Fleetwood said no. From 21 feet, 2 inches, Fleetwood chipped in for birdie, halving the hole and keeping Los Angeles in front 4-3 with two to play.

It came down to the 15th. Clark had an 8-foot birdie putt to keep The Bay alive. It slid by, and Los Angeles took the final point for the 5-3 win and the top seed. The TGL account called it "a heartbreaking miss," and from The Bay's side of the room it was hard to describe it any other way.

Comeback Kids

Los Angeles has made this its signature. A week earlier, it trailed New York Golf Club 4-0 through 11 holes and won in overtime. On Monday, it trailed by three through eight and won in regulation. Theegala made the connection plainly. "It was so similar to last week," Theegala said. "We were playing well, we just weren't making putts."

The run of play favored The Bay for long stretches. Lee was outstanding with the putter early, and Clark's near-ace was the best swing of the match. The difference was that Los Angeles never threw a bad Hammer and never accepted a bad one either. It declined when The Bay was in great position on the sixth, threw when The Bay was in trouble on the ninth and pounced when Lee found the penalty area on the 10th. That is how a team scores five points in seven holes.

Morikawa, the steady presence in the group all season, did not want to overstate the achievement. "It's great, but we know that the job's not done," Morikawa said. He also made it clear the No. 1 seed was a goal, saying the team had been "playing our butts off" to get it.

Seeding and the Playoff Bracket

The win moved Los Angeles to 4-0-1 and nine points, clinching the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed. That is a long way from opening night, when Los Angeles routed Jupiter Links 12-1 and looked like the team with the most firepower in the league. Five matches later, it looks like the team with the most nerve.

The Bay falls to 4-1-0 and eight points and is almost certainly the No. 2 seed. Atlanta Drive GC, at 3-1-0, can only pass The Bay by winning at least 11 of 15 holes against Jupiter Links on Tuesday. Barring that, The Bay will face Atlanta in one semifinal, a rematch of the Presidents Day match The Bay won 6-5.

Los Angeles will wait for the fourth seed. That spot is still open among New York, Jupiter and Boston, with New York and Boston meeting in the nightcap. The semifinals are set for March 17 and 18 at SoFi Center.

The Take

The Bay played better golf for long stretches of Monday. Los Angeles played better TGL. That distinction matters in a format where one Hammer decision can move two, three or four points in a single hole. Los Angeles has now won back-to-back matches from deep holes, and both times it did it by staying patient with the Hammer and letting the other side make the mistake first.

The Bay will be fine. Lee is the most electric short-game player in the league, Clark nearly made an ace and Lowry is as steady as anyone in the building. But the first loss came at the worst time, with the No. 1 seed on the line, and it came because the team that led all night blinked once.

Los Angeles did not blink at all. That is a dangerous habit to bring into a playoff.

For the official breakdown, see the TGL match recap (opens in a new tab) and the PGA TOUR recap (opens in a new tab).

Sources: TGL, PGA TOUR, ESPN, CBS Sports. More TGL coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: TGL.