The first match in WTGL history is complete, with Los Angeles Golf Club claiming the league’s first win.
Los Angeles faced New York Golf Club on Sunday. The result also gave the club’s players a little extra reason to celebrate: Los Angeles’ male team currently holds the TGL title.
New York’s Rose Zhang opened the match with the first tee shot in WTGL history, sending the ball 301 yards down the fairway on Cut The Sails. But Michelle Wie West, Alison Lee and Gaby López eventually got the better of Zhang, Linn Grant and Lydia Ko.
Los Angeles also won the first hole in league history, using a thrown hammer on the third. New York took the fifth, and Lee beat Grant on the 11th to complete the scoring.
For López, who is from Mexico, the match was a rare chance to compete as part of a team. She said the music, cheers and lively atmosphere made the experience different from the individual tournaments she usually plays. Team events such as the Solheim Cup aren’t available to her, she noted, and qualifying for the International Crown can be difficult. Playing alongside Wie West and Lee, she said, was a lot of fun—and she believes that having fun can help the team play better.
Los Angeles will try to extend its winning start when WTGL continues Tuesday. Wie West and her teammates are set to face Motor City Golf Club.
