Showtime! πΏ
Rivalry gameBoston and Los Angeles are two cities with a storied sports rivalry. Although TGL is not going to make us harken back to the Bird-Magic NBA Championship wars of the 80s, it is important for TGL to lean into the hometown fans and their history. The start-up league continues to draw viewers even after four weeks. Week five presents a single match once again. We'll take a break for the Genesis Invitational and then we have the 10 regular season H2H matches remaining over just three weeks! That makes sense because it is also the time when the PGA TOUR transitions to Florida. When Match #5 starts tonight, you will see the 1-0 Los Angeles Golf Club square off against the 0-1 Boston Common Golf. It's going to be a quick turnaround for all six Match #5 players. Each of them played in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am that wrapped on Sunday evening. I know these guys all fly private jets, but all three teammates for Boston also played last Monday as well. The format, course, and starting lineupsThe TGL format remains the same as our first four matches. If you missed the first couple of matches and you are curious how it works, their website does an excellent job of explaining the league rules with quick videos (βββTGL EXPLAINEDβββ). Tommy Fleetwood starts the Triples format in Match #5. Along with holding the honor on the first tee, the LAGC also starts the evening with the Hammer. Fleetwood will be followed by his Ryder Cup partner Rory McIlroy who leads off for BCG once again. BCG will employ the same three players in the same order for two weeks in a row. Possibly a situation to second guess the Beantown Bombers after their loss to Jupiter Links? After all, they held the early lead. Through the first three matches, the team that grabbed the first lead went on to win (3-0). Between the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup there's some serious match play history between these six players, and as such the tightest match yet to handicap this young season. We have three brand new holes in this week's design. Hang Low (par 4, 488 yards, hole 6), Fallen Pine (par 3, 194 yards, hole 7), and Navigator (par 5, 590 yards, hole 15). The fifteen-hole scorecard reads par 60 and measures 6,010 yards. Just slightly longer than last week. Our average par 3 is 176 yards, par 4 434 yards, and par 5 592 yards. The total yardage is a little more than last week, but overall, this layout is shorter than the courses used for Match 1, 2, and 3. As one match week blends into another, these scorecard designs are evolving. Part of what led to a closer match between Boston and Jupiter was the layout. Match 1 between the Bay Club and New York was 408 yards longer by comparison! By dialing in the appropriate length and variety of shots, we are going to see a better overall competition. By losing to the Jupiter Links Golf Club, Boston Common Golf has now dropped to third on the odds board behind Los Angeles and Atlanta Drive to win the SoFi Cup. Blink and this schedule will be over in March. BCG needs to attack this evening early and often. If any team can do it, they have the firepower. Rory just won the AT&T on Sunday and although Adam Scott had a mediocre start in Monterey, he finished the week eighteenth in strokes gained T2G. Captain Keegan still seems to be battling the same issues that plagued his game last week against JLGC. Bradley finished T65 at Pebble Beach. Loa Angeles was led by their elder statesman Justin Rose who was fourth T2G and survived a wild Saturday of weather at Pebble Beach. Collin Morikawa and Tommy Fleetwood were not as sharp in the wind, but still solid. Overall, the two LAGC ball strikers held their own in a signature field. As we head back into the friendly conditions of the SoFi Center, will players be able to easily shake the weather worries, or will the trajectory issues of the weekend carry on.
The moneyline succinctly shows how tight this match is. When the odds opened on Friday, LAGC was a slight favorite. I believe most of that is a reaction to Boston Common's performance last week. Losing to Tiger's team was a rough start. These two teams are very tight on paper and will definitely give the viewers another close match in the SoFi Center. Match breakdownThese are two of the marquee TGL teams facing off tonight. When the rosters were first announced, Boston Common Golf and Los Angeles Golf Club definitely excelled on draft night. We'll never know if there was a draft, or how these players were picked, but since the first SoFi Cup odds were announced Boston and LA were at the top of the betting board. Buoyed by his twenty-seventh career win over the weekend, Rory McIlroy and the same two partners travel back across the continent to compete. The longest TGL team, Boston is heavily favored in driving distance. LAGC is currently ranked fifth OTT while BCG is ranked first. I mentioned the course designers have found a competitive sweet-spot right around 6,000 yards for 15 holes. In doing so, the longer teams have gained a slight advantage. By shortening the course length, the longer teams can reach the par 5s, cut the doglegs off the tee, and attack the par 4s from closer than their opponents. Getting closer allows the teams to secure more GIRs. The Bay Club and Atlanta Drive hit more GIRs than any other team(s) to date. That's effectively the recipe to winning TGL. All six of these players competed at Pebble Beach. LA's three all finished inside the top 11 T2G statistically. "Well golf isn't played on paper," but it is played indoors for TGL. Morikawa, Rose, and Fleetwood all finished inside the top 18 on approach as well. Sure Rory won, but Keegan Bradley was ineffective at the AT&T and Adam's Scott total of 10 under was mainly bolstered by an eight under 64 on Sunday. As a whole, I believe LA brings more to the table this week even with Rory's Sunday back nine rout. BCG may be longer off the tee, but they won't hit as many GIRs as LA. That edge is too significant and as a result they win this week. The singles ultimately decide this when Keegan doesn't come through and the others split in a very evenly played six holes.
Enjoy the match tonight. TGL takes a break next week and returns on Monday, February 17 with three matches! Tuesday the eighteenth, we will have one more match. Four matches in two days, and I'll be there for all of them. Enjoy the on-site coverage as we continue to clean-up at the SoFi Center... I'll see you all this afternoon LIVE from TPC Scottsdale at 3:00pm ET on the Golf Pro Betting Show! Match 4 Card
β Read between the linesThe best place to follow news about Read The Line is right here! β β Do you know what it means to be a member of Read The Line?We provide more outrights, prop bets, H2H matchups, DFS lineups, and One & Done picks. Hit the link above and see for yourself! β DISCLAIMER: Read The Line provides information and insights concerning the game of golf, aimed at creating more intelligent sports fans. Read The Line does not seek to encourage any of our readers, members or users to engage in sports betting or otherwise make wagers based on the information and insights provided. Any betting or wagers made by readers, members or users are undertaken at their own risk and such activity does not give rise to any legal responsibility on the part of Read The Line. For more information, please refer to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Think you have a gambling problem? Reach out for help. Read The line promotes responsible gaming. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit these online resources: |
β