Robert TheodorsonRound Two of LIV Andalucia is officially history and an old familiar face leads the way going into Championship Sunday.
Not far behind Talor Gooch is fan-favourite Dustin Johnson who will immediately make the trip to Northern Ireland for the 153rd Open next week.
For Gooch, this is about pride and proving that he is still very much one of the elite golfers on LIV and can resume winning with regularity and consistency.
Out of the running for the past several major championships, DJ looks to add to his resume with another huge win on LIV and parlay that accomplishment into a successful outing at The Open.
Friday Leaders Talor Gooch, Cam Smith, Joaquin Niemann Seek Saturday Separation
Unplayable conditions on Friday led to an early Saturday makeup round where a trio of LIV stars pushed a thin lead over the field and eventually came out on top at 2-under par.
Saturday was an even bigger separation for those names as one took full advantage of his day to separate himself from the rest.
Talor Gooch (1st Place; 7-under par), the 2023 Individual Champion and previous winner at Andalucia that same year, by far had himself the most impressive round of his season.
Shooting 5-under par on Saturday, scoring seven times with only two bogeys, Gooch eventually came out on top and sits alone in 1st place by a wide margin.
Combined with his Friday score of 2-under par, Gooch has finally shown the world his consistency and winning mentality that has seemed to elude Gooch for the past year and a half.
The presumptive favorite going into Championship Sunday, Gooch will need to continue his elite play and fend off second place Dustin Johnson, as well as a number of hungry contenders who survived Saturday with a score of even par or better and still believe they have a chance to walk away with the coveted trophy on Spanish soil.
Gooch also helped team Smash finish in 2nd place. Should Gooch and 153rd Open invitee Jason Kokrak be able to hold on tomorrow, it would be only Smash’s 3rd podium finish of the season, but what a course like Valderrama to achieve such a feat on!
Cam Smith (T7; Even par), who enjoyed a 4-under par advantage before play was suspended on Friday fell out of the lead quickly with three early bogeys before eventually recovering in the middle of his round, though ended it poorly.
The 2022 Open winner has been out of form as of late, but is looking to use Andalucia as a springboard for next week’s major championship to prove to everyone that he is still one of the best in the world.
Smith, who has not been able to contend at recent majors is in desperate need of a top finish at Royal Portrush to ensure future invitations after several of his multi-year exemptions will run out in the next few seasons.
Joaco Niemann (T15; 2-over par), the reigning Individual Champion, had an uncharacteristically poor round, scoring only once, and doubling his par on the Par 3 15th which likely torpedoed his chances of continuing his streak of winning every other tournament this season.
Niemann has seemingly come back from worse, but on such a difficult course like Valderrama, it might take a miracle for even a Top 5 finish.
Dustin Johnson’s 4 Aces Ready to Halt Crushers’ Win Streak, Begin Their Own
Dustin Johnson’s (2nd Place; 3-under par) meteoric rise separated himself and his 4 Aces from the rest of the pack as the original LIV dynasty looks for its first win of the season.
DJ’s round of 64 was the best amongst all LIV golfers through two days of play in less-than-ideal conditions. Reminding everyone what vintage DJ looks like, the 4 Aces captain put on another masterclass performance that included seven birdies and zero miscues.
Helping the team cause, LIV Dallas champion Patrick Reed (T4; 1-under par) had himself another good round with a score of even par. For team play, it seems just not hurting yourselves and scoring here and there can and will get the job done!
Twenty-two points behind the third place Fireballs on the season-long standings, The 4 Aces (1st Place; 2-over par) have been knocking on the door all season long with back-to-back 3rd place podium finishes at Singapore and Miami and back-to-back 2nd place finishes at Virginia and Dallas.
Sergio Versus Rahm
Hometown heroes Jon Rahm (T4; 1-under par) and Sergio Garcia (T7; Even par) continued to draw the crowds and led another star-studded round at gorgeous Club Real Valderrama, arguably the greatest and likely most challenging courses on the LIV circuit.
Reigning Andalucia Champion Sergio Garcia took full advantage of the calm Saturday morning to increase his chances of defending his title, starting his round off right with three straight birdies from the 10th – 12th holes.
As the windy conditions picked up throughout the day, Sergio faltered on his back nine with two costly mistakes that eventually took his overall score down to even par.
Jon Rahm’s day was similar, though the former U.S. Open and Masters winner will go into Championship Sunday with an under-par score thanks to a successful Friday score of even par.
In these conditions, on this course, perhaps just being 1-under par will be enough to challenge for a win should Talor Gooch relinquish the lead early tomorrow morning.
Both Rahm and Sergio will certainly look to impress and entertain their fans tomorrow with what will shape up to be a great final round.
LIV Andalucia concludes tomorrow.
Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson and others will immediately depart for Royal Portrush to contend for the 153rd Open.
Check back after the weekend for our 153rd Open Preview to see how the LIV field stacks up against the world’s very best in a bid to capture the last major championship of the season!
