The LIV Golf Andalucia 2026 has a new solo leader at the halfway mark. Tyrrell Hatton (Legion XIII) signed for a 69 (-2) this Friday at Real Club Valderrama to move to 6 under par and open a two-shot lead over Thomas Detry (4Aces GC), solo second at -4. Four players share third place at -3: defending champion Talor Gooch (OKGC), Cam Smith (Ripper GC), Sergio Garcia (Fireballs GC) and Scott Vincent (HyFlyers GC). In the team standings of the LIV Golf Andalucia 2026, Legion XIII have climbed to the top with a combined -3, two strokes clear of Ripper GC and 4Aces GC.
Quick recap of the LIV Golf Andalucia 2026: Hatton rules Valderrama after a workmanlike Round 2
The second round of the LIV Golf Andalucia 2026 delivered another day of wind, patience and low numbers only for those who got the plan right. Hatton signed 36 out and a brilliant 33 back to take over the tournament lead in his first start since the birth of his first daughter, after skipping last week’s stop in Korea.
“If you’d told me on Wednesday that I’d have a two-shot lead heading into the weekend, honestly, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Hatton said. “As I mentioned yesterday, I think I had a good warm-up session that let me simplify a couple of things and just go out and play with those feelings.”
The day belonged in large part to Legion XIII inside the LIV Golf Andalucia 2026. As Hatton consolidated the lead, his teammate Jon Rahm produced one of the most spectacular rounds of the day. The Basque, frustrated after a +2 start in front of his home crowd, came out swinging with a 67 (-4) that matched the low round of the day and lets him sign the overall halfway cut at -2, in a tied seventh position (T7), in a great spot to attack the leaderboard over the weekend.
The defending champion also showed up in force at the LIV Golf Andalucia 2026. Talor Gooch, winner of two of the last three LIV Golf events played at Valderrama, moved into contention with a 67 (-4) that included four birdies on the back nine and lifted him into a tied third at -3. Gooch has a habit of bringing his best golf when it matters most on this course, so the rest of the field would be wise not to lose sight of him this weekend. Harold Varner III matched Rahm and Gooch with his own 67, making three players sharing the low round of the day. A huge card for a player who had also signed for a 73 on Thursday.
The fight for the Open Championship qualifying spot cleared up notably this Friday at the LIV Golf Andalucia 2026. Detry followed his opening 68 with a solid 70 to settle into solo second at -4, two behind Hatton. The Belgian keeps widening his gap with Joaquin Niemann for that coveted Major exemption, and two more rounds at this level could make life very tough for the Chilean heading into the weekend.
Sharing third place with Gooch are Cameron Smith and Sergio Garcia, both at -3 after matching cards of 70 on Friday. Smith’s consistency keeps the Ripper GC captain fully in the conversation of the LIV Golf Andalucia 2026 as he picks up steam under the guidance of his new swing coach, Claude Harmon III. Garcia, meanwhile, is looking to add another chapter to his love affair with Valderrama. Three Spanish players already feature in the top 7: Garcia, Rahm and David Puig (also T7), a powerful image for the local fans following the LIV Golf Andalucia 2026.
The day also delivered a moment of absolute brilliance from Lucas Herbert. The Ripper GC player holed out in one stroke on the 15th, signing the first hole-in-one in Andalusia across LIV Golf’s four visits to this course. It’s the seventeenth hole-in-one in the circuit’s history, the fifth of 2026 and the second longest in LIV Golf history, only behind John Catlin’s 220-yard ace at LIV Golf UK in 2024. A moment to frame within the memory of the LIV Golf Andalucia 2026.
In the team standings of the LIV Golf Andalucia 2026, Legion XIII have climbed to the top with a combined -3, after a collective -5 this Friday driven by Hatton’s lead and Rahm’s spectacular 67. Crushers GC, fresh off their win in Korea, are aiming to repeat the triumph, but for the second day in a row no team managed to post a sub-par round in the combined count. A reminder that Real Club Valderrama demands the most from every player on every hole, and that the weekend of the LIV Golf Andalucia 2026 is going to tighten the screws even further.
Standings after Round 2 of LIV Golf Andalucia 2026
Top individuals at the LIV Golf Andalucia 2026
- 1. Tyrrell Hatton, Legion XIII (-6, 67-69)
- 2. Thomas Detry, 4Aces GC (-4, 68-70)
- T3. Talor Gooch, OKGC (-3, 72-67)
- T3. Cam Smith, Ripper GC (-3, 69-70)
- T3. Sergio Garcia, Fireballs GC (-3, 69-70)
- T3. Scott Vincent, HyFlyers GC (-3, 67-72)
Top 5 teams at the LIV Golf Andalucia 2026
- 1. Legion XIII (-3) — Hatton (67-69), McKibbin (73-72), Rahm (73-67), Surratt (73-71)
- T2. 4Aces GC (-1) — Detry (68-70), Johnson (76-68), Kim (73-68), Pieters (70-74)
- T2. Ripper GC (-1) — Smith (69-70), Herbert (72-69), Leishman (73-70), Smylie (74-70)
- 4. OKGC (+3) — Gooch (72-67), Varner III (73-67), Kokrak (73-73), McDowell (71-74)
- 5. Crushers GC (+6) — DeChambeau (70-71), Lahiri (70-72), Howell III (70-74), Smyth (74-73)
Quotes of the day at the LIV Golf Andalucia 2026
These are the most notable reflections from the LIV Golf Andalucia 2026 after Round 2 at Valderrama.
Tyrrell Hatton (Legion XIII): “If you’d told me on Wednesday that I’d have a two-shot lead heading into the weekend, honestly, I wouldn’t have believed you. As I mentioned yesterday, I think I had a good warm-up session, simplified a couple of things, went out with those feelings and I think I hit some really good golf shots.”
Cam Smith (Ripper GC): “It’s been so long since I was last in the fight. I understand things aren’t going to happen all at once. I just have to keep putting myself up there, giving myself chances, and one day it’ll come.”
Jon Rahm (Legion XIII): “Great result. The best way to explain yesterday is that I got hit by a ‘Valderramada’. I don’t feel I played bad golf. It’s just gusts of wind and a couple of bounces here and there, and you end up over par very easily.”
Stats leaders at the LIV Golf Andalucia 2026 after Round 2
- Fairways hit (%): 71.43 (20/28) — Sebastian Muñoz, Torque GC
- Greens in regulation (%): 69.44 (25/36) — Cam Smith, Ripper GC
- Average driving distance: 332.9 yards — Byeong Hun An, Korean Golf Club
- Longest drive: 388.2 yards — Thomas Pieters, 4Aces GC
What’s next in Round 3 of LIV Golf Andalucia 2026
The third round of the LIV Golf Andalucia 2026 tees off this Saturday, June 6, at 13:15 (GMT+2) with the key groups starting on hole 1. At 13:15, Scott Vincent (HyFlyers GC), Sergio Garcia (Fireballs GC) and Cameron Smith (Ripper GC) open play, and at 13:26 the leading trio of Talor Gooch (OKGC), Thomas Detry (4Aces GC) and Tyrrell Hatton (Legion XIII) goes out. Limited tickets remain for the third round at LIVGolf.com, with free entry for under-12s accompanied by an adult holding a general admission ticket. For more weekend coverage, results and analysis, check our Andalucia Golf news section and follow the official leaderboard at LIVGolf.com.
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