Robert TheodorsonTalor Gooch (1st; 8-under par), the 2023 Individual Champion, left everything on the course at Club Real Valderrama to capture his first win in nearly two years, outdueling Spaniard Jon Rahm.
It was Gooch’s fourth win of his LIV career, a return to form for one of LIV’s most decorated golfers.
An errant tee shot on the 18th which required a punch out back on to the fairway sunk Rahm’s (2nd; 7-under par), chances of winning his first LIV tournament of 2025. Rahm’s outing will begin what is likely to be another lengthy streak of Top 10 finishes after his record/streak was broken at LIV Dallas.
Despite the second-place finish, Rahm was elated during his post-tournament interview, proud to bring a big team win in front of his hometown crowd, and pleased (minus the last tee shot) with his final round of 65 to close out the weekend.
For Rahm and others, Andalucia was a superb test of skill and will heading into The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush this week.
Widely considered to be one of the favourites from the LIV field, Rahm will seek to parlay Sunday’s performance into a strong start in search of his 3rd major championship.
Rahmbo’s Legion XIII Surge to Take Spanish Crown
Led by Jon Rahm, it was a total team effort at Tom McKibbin (T5; 4-under par), Tyrrell Hatton (T23; 2-over par), and Caleb Surratt (T32; 4-over par) worked in tandem to make a sustained late push past the 4 Aces and Smash early, then eventually outdueling Sergio Garcia’s hometown Fireballs.
Andalucia served as Legion XIII’s (1st Place; 5-under par) 3rd team win of the season and resulted in their 6th podium finish.
Legion XIII now squarely sits in first place over Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers who had previously won the last three tournaments in a row.
Who Looks Ready to Win Royal Portrush?
Unsurprisingly, several of The Open invitees secured Top 10 finishes in Andalucia: Jon Rahm, Tom McKibbin, Cam Smith, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, and Patrick Reed.
Tom McKibbin, one of LIV’s youngest players, braved Andalucia and will return to his native Northern Ireland next week to participate in only his fourth major championship.
McKibbin has not finished better than T41 (2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst) but will go in with a ton of confidence and a legitimate chance to make the cut and compete for a Top 25 finish.
Was this a return to form from Cam Smith (T7; 2-under par)? The 2022 Open winner secured his fourth Top 10 finish of the season, but has been on the outs at major championships recently.
Next week may serve as the definitive litmus test as to whether Cam can compete outside LIV as we have expected him to the past several seasons.
Almost besting Valderrama, there will be no excuses for Smith should he fail to make the cut. We sincerely hope to see him make a go of it for his second Open win of his young career.
Johnson and Reed Can’t Close
Johnson (T7; 2-under par), who went into Championship Sunday in sole possession of second place, dropped out of the lead quickly with bogeys on his first two holes, experienced a reversal of fortune halfway through, before eventually bowing out of contention late.
On his back nine, DJ’s teammate Patrick Reed (T10; 1-under par) appeared ready to make it two individual wins in a row as a 3-under par day was obliterated by some costly mistakes on the 15th and 16th.
Closing out tournaments has been an issue for DJ as it has become commonplace for the 2020 Masters champion to go into Championship Sundays with the lead or very much in competition, squarely in the Top 3/5.
Nevertheless, Johnson’s late recovery, capped off by a difficult par putt, gave the 4 Aces (T3; Even par) their 4th podium finish of the season – finishing T3 along with Smash.
Branden Grace Has Best Finish Since 2023
In 2023, Branden Grace (T4; 4-under par) was one of LIV’s best and most reliable golfers, securing three podium finishes at Mayakoba, Tulsa, and DC, often leading the South African Stinger to multiple wins to boot.
Last season Grace was relegated out of LIV due to poor play that saw him finish 51st out of 57 spots but was rescued by the good graces of captain Louis Oosthuizen who decided to bring his friend back for another go instead of opting to pluck a South African from the PGA Tour.
Grace T4 finish comes as one of the biggest reliefs a player has felt this season. Fans will look to see if Grace can recover his old form and make more regular appearances on the leaderboard, the likes of which we fondly remember him for.
LIV returns to action with LIV UK July 25 – 27 at JCB Golf & Country Club, England.
Check back soon for our 153rd Open Preview. See how the LIV Field stacks up against the world’s best, and our prediction as to who will win it all at Royal Portrush!
