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Stats expert and WTGL contributor Justin Ray shares his four key takeaways from the first two WTGL matches of the inaugural season.
Through the first two WTGL matches, fans have seen two wildly different matches unfold.
On opening day, Los Angeles Golf Club knocked off New York Golf Club 3-1 in a match that teetered on razor-thin margins. Tuesday night, Motor City Golf Club won the first two holes of their match vs. LAGC before flooring it, accelerating to an enormous 7-0 lead entering Singles.
Through two matches, the competition inside SoFi Center has flashed big potential.
Let’s examine some of the most interesting numbers and moments from WTGL’s opening two matches.
TALE OF TWO MATCHES FOR LAGC
In the opening match against NYGC, Los Angeles Golf Club made every critical putt needed to grab the victory. That’s no exaggeration – LAGC was a perfect 7-for-7 putting inside ten feet for the match, while New York GC was just 3-for-7.
Two nights later, that GreenZone magic just wasn’t there. With Kiara Romero and Aki Iwai replacing Alison Lee and Gaby López, LAGC made just 18 feet, 8 inches of putts against Motor City. More that two thirds of that cumulative distance came on a 12-foot, 5-inch putt made by Michelle Wie West on the fifth hole.
LAGC had the same number of fairways hit, same number of greens in regulation and a comparable average proximity to the hole (36’6”, 35’10”) as Motor City Golf Club on Tuesday night. Even with those close ball-striking numbers, they trailed 7-0 entering Singles before ultimately losing, 8-3. In a rapidly-moving match, holing putts in the 3 to 8 foot range is even more important than in stroke play.
DOMINANT DETROIT
Motor City Golf Club is appropriately named, as driving the golf ball will be one of the team's big strengths. Tuesday’s lineup featured the LPGA’s leader in total driving (Jeeno Thitikul), the player with the second-best career average driving distance in LPGA history (Lexi Thompson), and one of the sport’s most prolific ball-striking talents (Ronni Yin). And on the bench, Motor City still has a player ranked in the top-ten on the LPGA Tour in strokes gained off the tee (Brooke M. Henderson).
Motor City had an average driving distance 11.3 yards longer than its opponent on Tuesday. On holes where Motor City hit the fairway, they went unbeaten and earned a point differential of +4.
UNIQUELY CLOSE OPENER
While a 3-1 final score isn’t particularly special – 42% of matches in TGL presented by SoFi history have been decided by two points or fewer – the inaugural WTGL match on Sunday was historically close throughout.
The two sides combined to win just three of the 15 holes, tying the other 12. In two seasons of TGL at SoFi Center, the most tied holes in any match was 11, by Atlanta Drive GC and New York Golf Club in the third match in league history.
HONORING THE PAST, EMBRACING THE FUTURE
As WTGL athletes enter SoFi Center this season, they have the opportunity to showcase their off-course, fashionable side, walking the red carpet in front of the cameras. Through two matches, the most memorable pre-match fashion choice wasn’t about a high-end luxury designer – it was the unique way one of the league’s most prominent names honored the players who came before her.
Before Sunday’s inaugural WTGL match between LAGC and New York, Michelle Wie West wore a t-shirt celebrating the thirteen original founding members of the LPGA. As one new league launched, Wie West made a point to tip her visor to the trailblazing athletes from generations past who helped pave the road to the future of women’s professional sports.
Wie West, a golf pioneer in her own right, was the perfect representative to bring two eras together.