Fresh off his emphatic win at Pebble Beach, Rory McIlroy has flown back to South Florida for his second TGL match.
Rory McIlroy’s Boston Common facing Collin Morikawa’s Los Angeles team in TGL showdown
Fresh off his big win at Pebble Beach, Rory McIlroy and his team will take on a couple of major champions in their second TGL match.
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
Once again, the now 27-time PGA Tour winner will be joined by 2013 Masters Champion Adam Scott and this year’s Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley. Hideki Matsuyama, meanwhile, is in the field at this week’s WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale.
McIlroy, Scott, and Bradley will face off against the Los Angeles Golf Club, with Englishman Tommy Fleetwood making his TGL debut. Collin Morikawa and Justin Rose will team up with Fleetwood, returning to the SoFi Center three weeks after smacking around Jupiter Links Golf Club by a score of 12-1.
Coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Match 5: Boston Common Golf Club vs Los Angeles Golf Club
Key Team Stats for Boston:
Average Official World Golf Ranking: 12.7
- Rory McIlroy: 3
- Keegan Bradley: 13
- Adam Scott: 22
Total PGA Tour wins: 48 (McIlroy with 27)
Major wins: 6 (McIlroy with 4)
2024 Average of Total Strokes Gained: 0.897 (Would be 18th on PGA Tour in 2024)
- Rory McIlroy: 1.412 (3rd on PGA Tour)
- Keegan Bradley: 0.340 (67th)
- Adam Scott: 0.938 (17th)
TGL Stats to Date:
- Triples Points: 1
- Singles Points: 2
- Hammer Points: 1
- Driving Accuracy: 7-of-10 (70%)
- Greens in Regulation: 10-of-15 (66%)
TGL Results to Date:
Jan. 27, 2025: Lost to Jupiter Links Golf Club in Overtime 4-3
Odds to Win Match via FanDuel Sportsbook: -110
Key Team Stats for Los Angeles:
Average Official World Golf Ranking: 16
- Collin Morikawa: 4
- Tommy Fleetwood: 11
- Justin Rose: 33
Total PGA Tour wins: 17 (Rose with 11)
Major wins: 3 (Morikawa with 2)
2024 Average of Total Strokes Gained: 0.472 (Would be 74th on PGA Tour)
- Collin Morikawa: 1.203 (5th)
- Tommy Fleetwood 0.659 (39th)
- Justin Rose: -0.445 (152nd)
TGL Stats to Date:
- Triples Points: 8
- Singles Points: 4
- Hammer Points: 4
- Driving Accuracy: 7-of-10 (70%)
- Greens in Regulation: 7-of-15 (46.7%)
TGL Results to Date:
Jan. 14, 2025: Defeated Jupiter Links Golf Club 12-1
Odds to Win Match via FanDuel Sportsbook: -120
The Story:
The two best TGL teams square off on Tuesday night at the SoFi Center, as Rory McIlroy will arrive riding high after his historic win at Pebble Beach. McIlroy looked unstoppable down the stretch in Monterrey, with his incredible eagle on the par-5 14th hole proving just that.
Yet, just a few days before McIlroy slam-dunked a hole-in-one at Spyglass Hill and subsequently went on to win, he and his Boston Common team lost to Tiger Woods and Jupiter Links Golf Club in overtime. How he, Adam Scott, and Keegan Bradley respond to last week’s close call will be one of the big stories of the match.
Outside of TGL, both Scott and Bradley have produced mixed results as of late. Unlike McIlroy, Scott got off to a poor start at Spyglass Hill, shooting a 2-over 74 on day one. But the Aussie rebounded to a T-22 finish thanks to a strong 8-under 64 on Sunday. Bradley posted a T-15 at Torrey Pines but then tied for 65th at Pebble Beach — a third-round 76 plummeted him down the leaderboard.
On the flip side sits Los Angeles Golf Club, which dominated Woods and co. on Jan. 14, winning by 12-to-1. Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala, and Justin Rose played spectacularly, rarely making mistakes while capitalizing on their opponent’s blunders. But now Tommy Fleetwood, who tied for 22nd at Pebble Beach, replaces Theegala, who is playing in this week’s WM Phoenix Open.
As for Morikawa, he tied for 17th at Pebble Beach but never threatened the leaders; he finished at 11-under par. Rose, meanwhile, tied for third, thanks to an incredible chip-in eagle at the par-5 18th on Sunday. He used his fairway wood to knock it in, thus improving his score to 18-under par. His strong play at Pebble Beach was quite the turnaround because the week before, Rose missed the cut at Torrey Pines thanks to an 80 he shot during the second round. That 80 came on a day when the PGA Tour had to suspend play because of high winds.
But like golf played out on the course, every TGL match thus far has come down to who can convert their opportunities on the green. Both teams will enter their second match with similar putting statistics from their first, meaning it will likely come down to a putt or two. Boston converted three of four putts from inside 10 feet, while Los Angeles made four of five. As for putts from 10 to 30 feet, Los Angeles went 2-for-8 against Jupiter Links, while Boston was 2-for-9 in their match. And yet, despite these similarities, Los Angeles throttled Jupiter Links while Boston lost to them in overtime — so who knows how things will play out between these two heavyweights.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
