Rory McIlroy’s Boston TGL team smoked again, on brink of elimination

Rory McIlroy’s Boston Common Golf team lost their fourth match of the Tomorrow Golf League (TGL) season in as many starts and now have zero margin for error. In fact, qualification for the semi-finals no longer depends on them.

The Bostonians lined up McIlroy, Keegan Bradley and Hideki Matsuyama to take on Atlanta Drive Golf Club, who fielded Justin Thomas, Billy Horschel and Patrick Cantlay. The Northern Irishman and company made a good start but faded as the match progressed.

Boston Common Golf won the triples match 2-1 after winning the 4th and 5th holes. Atlanta could only win the 2nd hole and the remaining seven holes were level. However, it was the singles matches that changed everything as Atlanta won three holes, two of them after throwing the hammer for a 6-3 victory.

Thomas tied with Bradley on the 10th hole and Horschel beat Matsuyama on the 11th. On the next hole, Atlanta threw the hammer after Cantlay’s tee shot left the ball three feet from the hole, while McIlroy’s was 20 feet down the fairway. The four-time major winner chipped it to within four feet of the hole, but missed the putt for par and Atlanta took the two points.

On the 13th, Boston also tried the hammer, but Thomas holed his 4-foot putt and the hole finished tied. On the 14th, Atlanta went for the hammer again and they were successful as Matsuyama missed a six-foot putt to give his rivals the two points.

Rory McIlroy closed the gap by winning the 15th to put the final score on the scoreboard at 6-3.

But that would be all they could muster.

Boston Common Golf now has just one point in four matches, earned in an overtime loss to Tiger Woods’ Jupiter Links Golf Club. Boston is in last place in the standings, and a win for Jupiter Links would officially eliminate them from the playoffs.

Rory McIlroy’s team is scheduled for a final match against New York Golf Club on March 3. Their only chance to advance is to win this match if Jupiter Links loses theirs.

The TGL regular season ends on March 4, and the semifinals will be played two weeks later (March 17 and 18). It will be the turn of the Grand Final in the following week.

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