Hatton, Legion XIII manage Valderrama’s testing conditions best

Overnight co-leader Tyrrell Hatton of Legion XIII goes at a green on day two of LIV Golf Andalucia in Sotogrande, Spain, on Friday. Image courtesy LIV Golf.

From a Correspondent

Sotogrande, Spain: Tyrrell Hatton had played a handful of tournaments in Spain during his professional career but never at the country’s most famous course, Real Club Valderrama, until 2024 when he joined LIV Golf.

Like most golfers who take on its challenges, Hatton has endured his share of frustrating moments. But it’s a layout that certainly fits his game – and now he’s halfway to adding his name to the list of champions. 

The Legion XIII star shot a 2 under 69 in Friday’s second round at LIV Golf Andalucía to total 6 under after 36 holes, a two-shot lead over 4Aces GC’s Thomas Detry.

“It was always a course that I wanted to play,” said Hatton, who appeared in a tournaments elsewhere in Spain more than a decade ago. 

“I’ve certainly lost more hair over the last three years playing it than maybe I would have done if I never had. It’s an iconic venue and it’s always good to play.”

Former LIV Golf Andalucía champions Sergio Garcia and Talor Gooch (a two-time winner) were tied for third at 3 under along with Ripper GC captain Cameron Smith and HyFlyers GC’s Scott Vincent.

Hatton’s captain Jon Rahm moved into contention with a 4 under 67, tying for the lowest round of the day. 

Rahm is among a group of five players at 2 under. His Legion XIII lead by two shots over Ripper GC and 4Aces GC on the team leaderboard.

Steady progress

Hatton’s first visit to Valderrama resulted in a solo third in 2024. He finished T23 last year, and he came into this week with limited prep work while concentrating on his family and the birth of his first child.

But he opened with a 67 on Thursday to grab a share of the first-round lead, then bounced back from a tough opening stretch on Friday by playing his last eight holes in 4 under, including an eagle at the par-5 17th.

“If you’d have said to me on Wednesday that I’d have a two-shot lead going into the weekend, I probably wouldn’t have believed you, to be honest,” Hatton said. 

“It was a tricky day, so even if you did hit some good shots, it was pretty easy to miss the greens. I’m happy with how it feels and hopefully I can keep going with that this weekend.”

Detry, one of the league’s most consistent players in his first year with LIV Golf, shot a 1 under 70 to move to 4 under. 

He was the last player in the field to make a bogey, playing his first 32 holes in a bogey-free 6 under while nearly holing out for an albatross at the par-5 11th.

“It’s a grind out there,” said Detry, whose busy schedule has included three LIV Golf starts, a major appearance at the PGA Championship and a start on the DP World Tour in the last five weeks. 

Good space

“Bit of a shame to have leaked two more shots there on 15 and 18. But I feel like my game is in a pretty good spot for my fifth week in a row.”

Eighteen players enter the weekend at even par or better, including plenty of big names – including seven of the league’s captains – chasing Hatton. 

Rahm is one of those as he chases his first win at Valderrama, but he’s happy to see his teammate playing well after becoming a first-time father.

“I’m not surprised he’s playing well, you know?” Rahm said. “With extra motivation and, at the same time, maybe a bit of extra relaxation, because, well, the end of a pregnancy is always stressful, right?”

Hatton is now past that stress. But Valderrama will offer a different kind of stress this weekend.

“This golf course can be very frustrating,” Hatton said. “Obviously I lose my head around the simplest of golf courses. 

“Maybe guys playing this week, it kind of brings them closer to my level of losing their mind.” (courtesy LIV Golf)

Leaderboards

Individual Top 10

1. (-6) – Tyrrell Hatton, Legion XIII (67-69)

2. (-4) – Thomas Detry, 4Aces (68-70)

T3 (-3) – Talor Gooch, OKGC (72-67); Cameron Smith, Ripper (69-70); Scott Vincent, HyFlyers (67-72)

T7 (-2) – Jon Rahm, Legion XIII (73-67); Branden Grace, Southern Guards (69-71); David Puig, Fireballs (69-71); Louis Oosthuizen, Southern Guards (71-69); Harold Varner III, OKGC (73-67)

Team Top 3

1. (-3) – Legion XIII (Hatton 67-69, McKibbin 73-72, Rahm 73-67, Surratt 73-71; Rd. 2 total: -5)

T2 (-1) – Ripper GC (Herbert 72-69, Leishman 73-70, Smith 69-70, Smylie 74-70); 4Aces GC (Detry 68-70, Johnson 76-68, Kim 73-68, Pieters 70-74)

Day 2 stats

Driving Distance:Byeong Hun An, 356.4-yard avg.

Longest Drive:Thomas Pieters, 388.2 yards (11th hole). Official measured drives taken only on holes 11 and 17.

Driving Accuracy:Sebastian Munoz, 92.86% (13 of 14)

Greens in Regulation:Jon Rahm, Luis Masaveu, 77.78% (14 of 18)

Scrambling:Marc Leishman (9 of 9), Harold Varner III (6 of 6), 100%

Fewest Putts:Anthony Kim, Michael La Sasso, Richard T. Lee, 23

Bogey-free rounds: none

Also read: New dad Tyrrell Hatton celebrates with shared Valderrama lead