TGL PRESENTED BY SOFI: BOSTON COMMON GOLF VS LOS ANGELES GOLF CLUB

January 2, 2026

Rory McIlroy

Keegan Bradley

Michael Thorbjornsen

SoFi Center

Boston Common Golf

Press Conference

Boston Common Golf 7, Los Angeles Golf Club 5

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on the big win tonight. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

RORY McILROY: Sure. Yeah, obviously it's been a long time coming for Keegan and I to get a win. Not so long for Michael; he seems like a natural out there.

Yeah, it was a lot of fun. It was a great match, a lot of back and forth, a lot of quality shots, a lot of birdies and eagles and hammers thrown and bullets dodged. Yeah, it was back and forth.

It was certainly fun to play, so hopefully it was fun for everyone watching, too. This guy to my left was a stud tonight, and he was the star of the show.

Q. Boston Common made 87 feet and two inches of putts in this match tonight. How does that compare to last season? Can you talk about the improvement in your putting?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Well, he made most of them, but I missed a four and a half footer. It would have been 91 feet if I had made that.

I don't know, the green is a little bit different, and for me at least it's a little bit easier to see how the greens are breaking. They're rolling great.

Sometimes when you get in the roll like that, and we were all reading them together really well -- I think Rory reads them really, really good. So does Michael, obviously. We just were out there and we had these good looks. Michael and I, we had a bunch of these putts in practice. He had a couple where he's like, I know exactly what these do. It's a big bonus.

Q. Michael, you looked like a TGL veteran out there. How much work did you actually get out here beforehand?

MICHAEL THORBJORNSEN: I think this morning was my fourth time here, and I think every time that I've been here prior to, I've had a few hours of practice. Been in here with Keegan a few days prior to today, as well.

I got a good amount of practice in, played the course plenty of times. Felt pretty comfortable out there.

Q. 3-0 on the hammer today. Talk to me a little bit about 13. Rory, unbelievable up-and-down from like 190 yards, but you seemed a little torn when they threw it. Keegan, I saw you run over to the owner's suite, looked like your guy had a hit-or-stand blackjack card there on whether to accept it or decline it. Is that an adjustment you guys made this season? Do you think that's helpful in making those decisions?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah, we have a little different strategy for accepting and throwing hammers, a little bit more data driven.

I personally wanted to drop that just because Justin is such a good putter. But sometimes you have to take a risk with those hammers because they both can switch the match. If he makes that, we're 3-down I think at the time or 2 maybe, and instead we walked out with a half. So sometimes you have to take the risk that they're going to miss it or make it, and that was one that worked out for us. Could have easily gone the other way, but it didn't.

Q. Michael, in alternate shot like this, for your first shot to be left in the bunker, I've got to imagine it takes a lot mentally to bounce back in fewer shots, then you end up being the player of the match, nails on the green. How is it mentally to overcome a rough start with the team at your side?

MICHAEL THORBJORNSEN: Yeah, definitely did not feel good after leaving it in the bunker. Bunker shots out here are really difficult. It wasn't a very hard shot, I just didn't quite execute.

These guys are great. They're pumping me up. There's plenty more golf left to be played, so just do the best that I possibly can moving forward.

Q. Rory, you guys got a chance to play some of the new hole designs, Stinger, Flex, Michael played Cenote. What do you think the right balance is in terms of traditional versus non-traditional that we're seeing in TGL?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think there is definitely an opportunity to get creative. I think the Stinger hole has been a big hit so far. We've played two matches this year, and Michael is the first one to get it underneath and actually get it on the fairway.

Yeah, look, there's limitations in the real world to what golf holes you can build. There's no limitations in what we're doing here. I'd be all for getting a little funky and creating some more of those holes.

Q. Piggybacking off of that question, you teed off on Cenote. In practice did you realize any consistency with how the ball funnels down, like which club, whether it's a driver or wood, off of that tee where it feeds down to?

MICHAEL THORBJORNSEN: Yes, I think originally I had hit a couple drivers and noticed that the driver was going higher up on that slope, coming down to the front of the green. Ended up being a perfect mini-driver every single time.

You kind of want to keep it on the right side of that ramp so it can kind of shoot it left toward the pin, but anything in the center toward the right side will kind of nudge you toward that little tier that the pin is on.

Q. Rory, now that Brooks Koepka has left LIV, is there a possibility he'll join TGL?

RORY McILROY: I would say that's up to people that are more powerful and more important than me.

But I am one of the founders. I would love him to play. If there's space on a team for Brooks to come and play, it only makes what we're trying to do stronger. He's a five-time major champion. He's been one of the best players of our generation. If he decides it's something that he wants to do, I'm sure we'll find a way to include him.