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SAN ROQUE, SPAIN (5 JUNE, 2026) – Tyrrell Hatton is looking to make a statement in his first start since becoming a father. The Englishman carded a second-round 69 to move to 6-under par and take sole possession of the lead at the halfway stage at LIV Golf Andalucía 2026.
Hatton, who missed last week’s event in Korea following the birth of his first child, went out in 36 before a more productive back nine of 33. He sits two shots clear of Thomas Detry heading into the weekend at Real Club Valderrama.
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“…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. As I said yesterday, I feel like I had a good warmup… I simplified a few things and just kind of went out with that feeling, and I feel like I hit some really good golf shots” — Hatton, Legion XIII
It was a day that belonged, in no small part, to Legion XIII. While Hatton was building his lead at the top, his teammate Jon Rahm was producing one of the more eye-catching rounds on the course.
The Spaniard, who had cut a frustrated figure after a 2-over opening round in front of his home crowd, came out swinging on Friday with a 4-under 67, good for a tie of the low round of the day. Rahm moved to 2-under for the tournament and sits T7, in prime position for a weekend charge.
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“Great score. Yesterday I got — the best way to explain it is “Valderramaed.” I don’t feel like I’ve played any bad golf. It’s just wind gusts and a couple of bounces here and there, and you end up over par very easily..” — Rahm, Legion XIII
The defending champion also announced himself emphatically. Talor Gooch, who has won two of the last three LIV Golf tournaments at Valderrama, made his move on Friday with a 4-under 67 that featured four birdies on the back nine and moved him all the way to a tie for 3rd at 3-under. Gooch has a habit of finding his best golf when it matters most at this venue, and the field would be wise to keep a close eye on him this weekend.
Harold Varner III matched Rahm and Gooch with his own 67, making it three players sharing the low round of the day. It was a quietly impressive round from a player who had also opened with a 73 on Thursday.
The Open Championship qualifying picture sharpened considerably on Friday. Detry followed his opening 68 with a steady 70 to sit alone in second at 4-under, two back of Hatton. The Belgian continues to widen the gap on Joaquin Niemann in the race for that coveted exemption, and two more rounds in this form could make it very difficult for Niemann to hold on heading into the weekend.
Sharing third with Gooch are Cameron Smith and Sergio Garcia, both at 3-under after matching 70s on Friday. Smith’s continued solidity keeps the Ripper GC captain firmly in the conversation as he builds momentum under new swing coach Claude Harmon III. Garcia, meanwhile, is looking to add yet another chapter to his remarkable Valderrama story. Three Spanish players now sit in the top seven: Garcia, Rahm, and David Puig at T7.
The day also produced a moment of brilliance from Lucas Herbert. The Ripper GC man aced the 15th hole — the first hole-in-one at Andalucía in LIV Golf’s four visits to the venue. It was the 17th ace in league history, the fifth of 2026, and the second longest in LIV Golf history, trailing only 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 bidding to go back-to-back and carry the team lead into the weekend. For the second consecutive day, however, no team managed to finish the round under par cumulatively, a reminder that Real Club Valderrama demands everything from every player, on every hole. With two rounds remaining, that is unlikely to change.
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