SouthernWorldwide.com – Tyrrell Hatton has taken a commanding lead after the second round of LIV Golf Andalucía 2026, held at the prestigious Real Club Valderrama.
Hatton, in his first tournament since becoming a father, shot a 2-under 69 in the second round. This performance brings his total score to 6 under par for the week, placing him at the top of the leaderboard at the halfway point of the event.
The Legion XIII player, who missed the previous tournament in Korea due to the birth of his first child, completed his front nine in 36 strokes before a stronger back nine of 33. He now holds a two-shot advantage over Thomas Detry heading into the weekend’s play.
“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 commented. “As I said yesterday, I feel like I had a good warm-up … I simplified a few things and just kind of went out with that feel.”
The day was particularly strong for Legion XIII. While Hatton was building his lead, his teammate and captain, Jon Rahm, delivered one of the most impressive rounds of the day. Rahm, who had expressed frustration after an opening round of 2-over 73 in front of his home crowd, responded with a 4-under 67 on Friday, tying for the lowest round of the day.
Rahm’s performance moved him to 2 under par for the tournament, positioning him in a tie for seventh place and in a strong position for a weekend surge.
The defending champion also made a significant move. OKGC Captain Talor Gooch, a two-time winner of the last three LIV Golf tournaments at Valderrama, posted a 4-under 67 on Friday. This round included four birdies on the back nine, propelling him into a tie for third place at 3 under par.
Gooch has a history of performing exceptionally well at this venue when it matters most, and the other competitors would be wise to monitor his progress closely throughout the weekend.
Harold Varner III also matched Rahm and Gooch’s performance, carding a 67 to share the low round of the day. This was a quietly impressive round from Varner III, who had also opened with a 2-over 73 on Thursday.
The qualification picture for The Open Championship became significantly clearer on Friday. Thomas Detry, following his opening 3-under 68, maintained his strong play with a steady 1-under 70. He now sits alone in second place at 4 under par, two shots behind Hatton.
The Belgian continues to extend his lead over Joaquin Niemann in the race for a coveted exemption. With two more rounds to play, Detry’s current form could make it very challenging for Niemann to secure his spot.
Sharing third place with Gooch are Cameron Smith, Sergio Garcia, and Scott Vincent, all at 3 under par after two days of competition. Smith’s consistent performance keeps the Ripper GC captain firmly in contention as he builds momentum under his new swing coach, Claude Harmon III.
Meanwhile, Garcia is looking to add another memorable chapter to his remarkable history at Valderrama. Notably, three Spanish players are now in the top seven: Garcia, Rahm, and David Puig, who is also tied for seventh.
The day also featured a moment of individual brilliance from Lucas Herbert. The Ripper GC player achieved a hole-in-one on the 15th hole, marking the first ace at Andalucía in LIV Golf’s four visits to the course.
This was the 17th ace in LIV Golf history, the fifth of the 2026 season, and the second longest on record, surpassed only by John Catlin’s 220-yard ace at LIV Golf UK in 2024.
In the team competition, Crushers GC, fresh off their victory in Korea last week, are aiming for back-to-back wins and are currently leading heading into the weekend.
However, for the second consecutive day, no team managed to finish the round under par collectively. This serves as a reminder of the demanding nature of Real Club Valderrama, which challenges every player on every hole.
With two rounds remaining, it is unlikely that this trend will change.
The current leaderboard is as follows:
- 1. Tyrrell Hatton (-6)
- 2. Thomas Detry (-4)
- T-3. Scott Vincent (-3)
- T-3. Sergio Garcia (-3)
- T-3. Talor Gooch (-3)
- T-3. Cameron Smith (-3)
- T-7. Harold Varner III (-2)
- T-7. Branden Grace (-2)
- T-7. Louis Oosthuizen (-2)
- T-7. David Puig (-2)
- T-7. Jon Rahm (-2)
This report is provided courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf.
