TGL PLAYOFF SEMIFINALS PRESENTED BY SOFI: ATLANTA DRIVE GC VS THE BAY GC

March 18, 2025

Justin Thomas

Patrick Cantlay

Billy Horschel

SoFi Center

Atlanta Drive GC

Press Conference

Atlanta Drive GC - 9, The Bay Golf Club - 3

THE MODERATOR: We want to welcome Atlanta Drive GC. To the media center here at SoFi Center. Strong victory against The Bay and on to the finals. We'll start with just tonight's victory. Patrick Cantlay, amazing shot there on 12, talk us through that, and then we'll get comments on the overall team win.

PATRICK CANTLAY: Thanks very much. I thought we all played really well tonight. And that was just a 7-iron, a little small draw 7-iron and with the perfect distance.

THE MODERATOR: Justin, Billy, just overall on the victory?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it was great. It was a great team win. We all contributed, did what we needed at the right times. I think these guys definitely, I think, held us in there tonight in regard to all of us. I was riding 'em hard and doing the best that I could for us. But that's kind of the fun part about this is you're able to rely on your teammates and also they can pick you up a little bit. And we just fight as hard as we can to win the hole and hopefully it's enough at the end like it was.

BILLY HORSCHEL: I think getting off to winning the first two out of three holes is huge, like anything in match play. You want to get the momentum early. Obviously we knew they were going to make a little run. But yeah, I think we did a really good job. Like JT and Patrick said, we all played really well, we all helped out, kicked in when we can and, listen, PC there at the end, when they threw in the hammer before he hit that shot on the 12th hole, that was huge. We knew that was the match and to hit a good shot could have sealed it for us, and they call him Paddy Ice for a reason and he came through.

Q. Billy, you mentioned the momentum you got, but you got it going. You said you were going to make the putt. I don't know if they were listening, but they declined the hammer. The next one you made the putt. So is that part of the strategy, knowing they may decline it, knowing they're going to lose the hammer, and then just talk about that confidence and how that kind of got momentum.

BILLY HORSCHEL: Yeah, I think on the first, second hole where we had, both Min Woo and I both had about 6, 7, 8 feet for birdie. He missed his and I, you know, Pat and JT looked over at Ben, and we were trying to discuss whether to throw it or not, I thought it was a perfect one because, you know, it's a 50/50 putt, I thought they were going to accept it, and I thought we were going to go 2-up, but they declined it, and then Min Woo missed the putt on the next hole. So, listen, we had some stuff go in our favor tonight, which sometimes you need. Yeah, listen, momentum's huge in anything and we got it and we held onto it as best we could the rest of the night.

Q. Also, having not sitting here trying to figure out all the math and the hammer, but in the last one did you all realize that throwing a hammer could clinch it? That they had to accept it? Did you figure that out going into the hole?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, that was Pat, that was the big-brain thinking there. He was like, Throw it. If they decline we win automatically. And I'm like, Oh, yeah, that's a good point. We should throw it. Hey, we're a team for a reason, we fill in the gaps where it's needed (laughing).

BILLY HORSCHEL: JT and I joined the smart group so we don't have to do as much work when it comes to that.

JUSTIN THOMAS: It's like the kid doing the school project, you just hope you get the A at the end and you don't really do as much.

Q. Patrick, back to the shot on 12 The Bay could have chosen any matchup to use their last hammer before the hole that would be auto-accept, they chose your matchup. Did it feel that much better to stick it and give yourself an easy birdie putt at the end?

PATRICK CANTLAY: I think Ludvig's shown that he's hit great shots all season, and so I'm not surprised that they chose to use him. But I knew, once it was thrown, you know, it was even more pressure on that shot, and just tried to focus as much as I could and go to work.

Q. Justin, I asked this of the other team, going into next week can you describe sort of the excitement, not just of what's happening next week, but of the season. You're local, it's been a great vibe here at SoFi Center and for TGL golf in general. Just this experience for you as you advance to next week.

JUSTIN THOMAS: It's really cool. I don't think you could -- I mean obviously you could draw it up better by getting it done next week, but just how the year's gone. Seems like each and every week it's getting a little bit more fun on the players' end, but also a little bit more competitive. And obviously now being a part of the playoffs, it just had a little different feel. I think all of us even commented before the match, watching on TV last night, it just even had a different feel and vibe from watching it, at least it did to us. So, yeah, this is all -- every match we play is another one that's new to us. I think, you know, the following seasons will be stuff that we're a little bit more accustomed to, but, you know, each and every match we're playing it's new territory for us. So playing for a championship will be something we're excited for and something we embrace, but something that will be kind of figuring it out as we go.

Q. Clearly the competitiveness is there, the reaction after Pat's shot was awesome, but is there something about TGL that allows you to be a little more relaxed and be a little bit more out of your comfort zone than you would in a typical PGA TOUR tournament dealing with fans and media and the interactions?

BILLY HORSCHEL: I think when you have teammates it makes it easier that you can rely on one another. You don't have to do it all on your own. For me, I've said it multiple times, listen, this is awesome, this is such a new venture that we're stepping into. But at the end of the day this isn't, we're not, this isn't our regular job in the sense of financially and everything going. The PGA TOUR, playing the PGA TOUR, this is additive to it, but we're enjoying it, we can enjoy more of having a lot more fun, still be competitive, still have fun with these guys, and that's the way I've looked at it. I think it's a perfect setup that you can show a little bit more of who you are on the golf course. Obviously I do a better job of that here than out on the golf course, I can be a little more focused and probably a little more hot under the collar (laughing). But here I just seem to enjoy it more. I think being with these guys makes it a lot easier for me to enjoy this.

Q. JT, to follow-up on that, Happy Gilmore 2, trailer release day today. Obviously you're comfortable under the cameras here in the SoFi Center, how comfortable were you filming that movie and being able to work with Adam Sandler on a project like that?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it was very cool. I definitely realized pretty quickly how often I quote Adam Sandler movies in my everyday life. Because when you're around the person you naturally don't want to do that to not make yourself kind of look stupid. But it was borderline very excessive, I started to realize, on my end, so it was almost a reality check. It was very, very cool. I mean, I would say if you put us in any situation outside of golfers it would be extremely uncomfortable, but at least we're able to somewhat be ourselves. And it was a learning experience and a totally different aspect, but, man, it was so much fun and one of the coolest experiences I've had for sure.

Q. Do you guys know what your lineup will be for next week's finals, and if not how does that process work?

PATRICK CANTLAY: I don't think we've sorted that out yet. We rely on Ben a lot, our team manager. He does a fantastic job week-in, week-out. He was here this morning rolling balls on the green, so we're as prepared as we can, so we leave a lot of those decisions up to him.

Q. Last match against New York you guys won 4-0, might have been the match that changed the Hammer Rule. You guys say you rely on Patrick Cantlay a lot for his hammer kind of strategy. Do you give anything away, without giving too much away, Patrick, of just how you guys kind of approach using the hammer?

BILLY HORSCHEL: I can guarantee you we're going to though the hammer this time.

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, the new hammer strategy I think has been great. It's added a little wrinkle into the game, a little more strategy, and you just have to find the best three opportunities throughout the match to throw the hammer, and if you do, you have just that little bit of a competitive advantage.

THE MODERATOR: Anything on New York? You guys are excited to face those members of that team, anything you're looking forward to?

JUSTIN THOMAS: No, I mean, I think it's going to, Xander is just going to be like that little fly that's just kind of constantly around your head and making noise. And you don't know if he is talking to you, at you, himself, but he's just going to be there. And that's the Xander that we know and love and we're with every week. We always enjoy, whether it's money games playing with these guys and Xander, or in a TOUR event, or next week. It will be very enjoyable playing those guys and we look forward to getting an opportunity to get some bragging rights on 'em, for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Good job today and we'll see you next week.