Los Angeles Golf Club win historic first WTGL match 3-1
Michelle Wie West, Alison Lee and Gaby López defeated New York Golf Club in the inaugural WTGL fixture at the SoFi Center in Florida.
Los Angeles Golf Club beat New York Golf Club 3-1 to win the first match in the history of the WTGL, as reported by Sky Sports Golf.
The contest took place at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on 8 November, marking the launch of the new women's team golf league presented by SoFi.
Rose Zhang had the honour of hitting the opening tee shot in WTGL history for New York, sending her drive 301 yards down the fairway on the hole known as Cut The Sails, according to Yahoo Sports.
Despite that start, Zhang's New York side, completed by Linn Grant and Lydia Ko, were ultimately overcome by a Los Angeles trio of Michelle Wie West, Alison Lee and Gaby López.
Los Angeles claimed the first hole won in league history, a moment Yahoo Sports described as seismic because it involved a thrown hammer, on the third hole of the match.
New York hit back to take the fifth hole, before Alison Lee's win over Linn Grant on the eleventh hole completed the scoring that decided the contest.
The result was notable given that the men's Los Angeles franchise in the related TGL competition are the reigning champions, making victory for their female counterparts fitting, Yahoo Sports noted.
For López, the match carried personal significance as the first team event of her career. The Mexican player, who does not have regular access to the Solheim Cup or International Crown, had already flagged her excitement about playing in a team format before the league began, speaking to SB Nation.
Reflecting on the experience after the win, López said: "Yeah, honestly having the environment with the music and all the energy that we never get to play this, this is my only team event that I get to be on."
She added: "I don't get to play Solheim, and International Crown is hard to get. So to be able to have Alison and Michelle, it's been amazing, the dancing, the cheers."
López also said: "I feel this is what it's for is being able to put the nerves out there in a different way that we're not used to. I feel like the more fun you have, the better we play. That's definitely one of the things we set up before."
The victory gives Los Angeles Golf Club a perfect start to the WTGL's maiden season, with the league now established alongside the men's TGL as part of the wider team golf format staged at the purpose-built SoFi Center.