Tigerland π
Still THE MAN in the arenaPALM BEACH GARDENS, FL If there were any doubts... the offseason is definitely over. The Sony Open starts the 2026 PGA TOUR season, Brooks Koepka is coming back, and we will get a Tiger Woods sighting in SoFi Center. The Jupiter Links Golf Club starts its Season 2 campaign against the New York Golf Club tonight at 7:00 pm ET on ESPN. Although Tiger is unable to play for his team, Woods will be on the field and mic'd up for the broadcast. Insights from the greatest player of this millennium are sure to drive a spike in viewership. The question is, does Tiger still possess enough on-course confidence to distract the 0-1 NYGC? The Atlanta Drive GC moved to 2-0 last week when they took down The Bay GC 7-4. Wyndham Clark and company failed to hit fairways, and Atlanta Drive showed why they have the best short game in the SoFi Center, chipping in twice! This evening will be NYGC's second match in Season 2, while JLGC is just getting started. Will that prove to be the edge they need to win over the hometown team? Season 2 has gotten off to an interesting start. Stars such as Xander Schauffele and Ludvig Γ berg have been rusty while new names like Chris Gotterup have stolen the stage. Tonight, we are going to see another substitute on the Jupiter Links roster. Local "Jup Life" resident Akshay Bhatia will be filling in for Tom Kim (and Tiger Woods). Can the two-time PGA TOUR winner make a difference? Jupiter Links was one of two teams not to make the playoffs in Season 1, for a six-team league. Golf is most definitely back, and tonight's Match 4 with Woods in the building is appointment viewing. The format, course, and starting lineupsJoe Idone will be inside the SoFi arena this evening, covering Match 4. If you get a chance to attend and see Joe, make sure you say hi and welcome him to the RTL community. Jupiter Links GC and New York GC met in Match 9 of Season 1. It was mid-February, and both teams had a couple of matches under their belt. NYGC stormed the southeast Florida team, going up 8-2 after Triples play. A couple more points in the Singles, and New York won convincingly 10-3. With Kevin Kisner and a distracted Tiger Woods in the lineup, Tiger's mother had passed away two weeks earlier, Jupiter Links was no match for the surging team from New York. Although this lineup still has Kisner, the addition of Akshay makes a difference. Bhatia was one of the best ball strikers on tour in 2025 and, uniquely enough, is the first lefty to compete in the TGL.ββββββββββββββ The Jupiter Links boys must have the attention of TGL officials. JLGC was one of the shortest teams in the league during Season 1. Tonight's scorecard is the shortest of Season 2 (5,836 yards). Can 150 yards make that much of a difference? Take the final hole, for example. Sterling is a 553-yard par 5. In Match 1, NY faced a 671-yard closing hole and a forced carry of 300+ yards off the tee. Our final H2H hole features Cameron Young versus Kevin Kisner. Imagine that matchup at 650 yards or more! Making the course shorter does not mitigate all of NY's edge when it comes to length. The Bronx Bombers were 10 yards longer (on average) in their Season 2 debut than they were in all of Season 1. Even with the Rickie for Xander switch, this team is still super efficient off the tee. Fowler is another NY flusher who played every match in Season 1. Two of the three new holes are in use tonight. You will see Stinger in Triples (Hole 8), and Cenote is the final par 3 (Hole 14) and will play 264 yards! Eight of these holes were used when these two teams met back in Season 1, and NYGC won by seven points. New York also competed on nine of these holes in Match 1 of Season 2. Experience is probably the biggest edge a team can have in the SoFi Center. New York started Season 1 0-2, still made the playoffs, and ultimately lost in the finals. Jupiter Links GC was a mess in Season 1. Their two most prominent match memories were Kisner skulling a bunker shot off the pin and Tiger hitting a 199-yard shot 99 yards. No team needed an offseason more than the hometown golf heroes. Will it make a difference when it comes to predicting our winner? Keep reading to find out. Match breakdownMatch 4Jupiter Links Golf Club finished Season 1 with a 1-4-0 record. Their lone win was against the winless Boston Common Golf in overtime. JLGC was ranked last in average driving distance, GIRs, Triples, Singles, Hammers won, and the list goes on. New York GC enters Match 4 as a considerable favorite (-138). Tonight also brings about the return of Rickie Fowler. Fowler competed in every NYGC match during Season 1. Combined with a resurgent Matt Fitzpatrick and Cameron Young, the local Jupiter boys have a tall hill to climb. Can JLGC win? No. Sorry to state the obvious, but even with the addition of Akshay Bhatia, you need a complete lineup. We saw what happened in Match 1 when Xander did not show up for NY. The Bay could not find the fairway in Match 3 and lost 7-4. All of these players are so close in skill set, it is really tough to separate them in 15 simulator holes. When Tom Kim took a spot in the Sony Open, Kevin Kisner had to play for JLGC. This gives NYGC a considerable lineup edge. I believe Max Homa will have a great bounce back year on TOUR, but top to bottom NY is stacked. They were 10 yards longer off the tee (on average) in Match 1 of Season 2 than any team during Season 1. Granted, TGL put together a very short card, but Cam Young is teeing off against Kisner on two par 5s; one of which is their home hole Big Apple, and the second Par 5 he'll reach the green in two with an iron in hand. Speaking of repeat holes, nine of the holes from Match 1 against the Atlanta Drive will be used in NY's second match. We all know New York won 10-3 in Season 1, and eight of the holes from that match are also included in tonight's scorecard. Experience is an edge in TGL, and NYGC has it this evening. No team threw more hammers in Season 1, and no team lost more Hammers in Season 1 than Jupiter Links GC. The ultimate TGL winning trick, Tiger and team better have a real strategy for the two-point toss. Throwing the Hammer is not about getting the other side to decline. Chances are, you would have won that point anyway. The orange flag is about winning two points! Here is one spot JLGC can really give itself a chance to pull the upset. NYGC mismanaged the Hammer in Match 1. If they don't clean up their act with the double down, they might find themselves at 0-2 by the end of the night. Don't forget, NYGC started Season 1 with two losses. New York then went on an incredible playoff run to the SoFi Finals. I wouldn't count on Boston or LA to sit back and let the boys from the five boroughs do that again. New York will have a sense of urgency tonight. New York GC finished second in Triples scoring during Season 1. These H2H matchups don't look great either as we handicap tonight's match.
The New York Golf Club is winning Match 4. Once the live betting boards open, pay attention to the early match odds. NYGC is a great Triples team, and they took an 8-2 lead over Jupiter Links GC in their first match. The Singles point total also falls heavily in their favor. Tiger's presence will not be enough, and the boys in blue will end the night with their first win of the season. Betting card* - Odds can change from site to site. Make sure you shop around before making each bet. Even though a bet is listed, it may have changed since the newsletter was published. FanDuel (FD), Caesars (CS), DraftKings (DK), BetMGM (BM), bet365 (B3), Bet Rivers (BR), Fanatics (FN) Do you want to be a better bettor?Become a member of Read The Line today!β
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