First look: LIV Golf Andalucía at Real Club Valderrama

ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT

When: 12-14 July 2024

Where: Real Club Valderrama, Sotogrande, Cadiz, Spain

Competition: Three rounds/54 holes stroke play

Field: 54 players – 13 teams with four players each and two wildcards

Wallet: $25 million ($20 million individual, $5 million team)

Winner’s share: 4 million USD (individual), 3 million USD (team)

Local start times: Shotgun start for Rounds 1-2 at 1:15 p.m. local time (7:15 a.m. ET); Round 3 at 1:05 p.m. local time (7:05 a.m. ET)

KEY PLOTLINES

• LIV Golf returns to Spain and the legendary Real Club Valderrama for the second year in a row

• Legion XIII, led by Spanish star Jon Rahm, won the previous LIV golf tournament in Nashville, its third team victory of the season.

• Englishman Tyrrell Hatton, member of Legion XIII, hopes for his first individual title in LIV Golf in Nashville

• Rahm and Hatton finished second and third in the individual rankings behind Torque GC captain Joaquin Niemann

• Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC, the 2023 team champions, lead the team points standings after nine events

• Torque is the reigning Andalusia team champion, while Talor Gooch, now at Smash GC, won the individual title at Valderrama last year while playing for RangeGoats GC.

• 16 players from the LIV Golf Andalucía field will take part in the Open Championship at Royal Troon next week, the last major of 2024

• Richard Bland of Cleeks GC makes his first appearance after winning his second consecutive major at the US Senior Open

SPANISH RETURN

Four Spanish-born LIV golfers, including first-year member Jon Rahm, will have plenty of support this week as they compete in front of their home fans at LIV Golf Andalucía.

Rahm, a two-time major winner and captain of expansion team Legion XIII, is visiting Valderrama for the first time since joining LIV Golf in the offseason.

“It’s always special to return to Valderrama,” said Rahm, who was born in Barrika in the Basque Country. “It’s a golf course with so much history – so much Spanish history – and I’m delighted to return with the level of field and competition that it deserves.”

Major winner Sergio Garcia, captain of Fireballs GC, and teammates David Puig and Eugenio Chacarra competed in Andalusia last year when LIV Golf visited their home country for the first time, with Puig (T5) and Garcia (T10) finishing in the top 10.

Garcia, born in Borriol, Castellón, is an honorary member of Valderrama and describes it as his favorite golf course in the world. “Valderrama has deserved this type of event and this field of participants for a long time,” said Garcia, who has won three professional events at Valderrama.

ABOUT THE COURSE

REAL CLUB VALDERRAMA
Sotogrande, Cadiz, Spain

Comparison value: 71
Barrel length: 7,010

• The Real Club Valderrama is one of the best golf courses in the world and has hosted numerous professional events, including last year’s LIV Golf Andalucía and the 1997 Ryder Cup – the first time the event was held on the European mainland.

• Valderrama was originally designed by famed golf architect Robert Trent Jones in 1974. Jones was brought back to work on the course when Jaime Ortiz-Patiño purchased the course in the mid-1980s.

• Valderrama is widely regarded as the “Augusta of Europe” due to its championship pedigree and immaculate maintenance

• The golf club is one of two in Europe to be awarded Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program certification for its commitment to preserving and restoring natural ecosystems.

• The course has four par 4 holes under 400 yards; the longest par 3 is 225 yards, the longest par 4 is 490 yards and the longest par 5 is 564 yards.

• The 564-yard par 5 hole, known as La Cascada, has a pond to the right of a two-tiered green

• The memorable 536-yard par 5 hole 17 offers a natural amphitheater for fans

• Talor Gooch is the defending champion, winning last year at 12 under par, one stroke better than Bryson DeChambeau

• Green types: Bermuda Tifway 419 on fairways and rough; T1 Creeping bentgrass on greens

MOST HARD HOLE: 12.
Par 3 | 199 meters
Average points 2023: 3,340
Birdies: 11. Pars: 81. Bogeys: 45. Others: 8.

EASIEST HOLE: 17.
Par 5 | 499 meters
Average points 2023: 4,715
Eagles: 5. Birdies: 57. Pars: 62. Bogeys: 15. Others: 5.

WEATHER

Forecast from weather.com

How to watch

UNITED STATES: The CW Network broadcasts the LIV Golf League in 100% of U.S. markets.

Friday – Live on the CW app, LIV Golf Plus and LIV Golf YouTube.

Saturdays and Sundays – Live on The CW, LIV Golf Plus and LIV Golf YouTube.

WORLDWIDE: Broadcast live and on-demand in over 160 international territories, free of charge, on LIV Golf Plus. Available to download on iOS, Android, FireTV and on LIVGolfPlus.com. Also broadcast on several international broadcast partners.

Personal: Tickets are available here

More info: Click here