Tyrrell Hatton shot a two-under 69 in round two at Real Club Valderrama on Friday to take the 36-hole lead at LIV Golf Andalucia. The Englishman reached six-under overall and moved two shots clear of Belgium’s Thomas Detry heading into the final round in Sotogrande, Spain.
Home favourite Sergio Garcia, former Open champion Cameron Smith, Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent and Talor Gooch are tied for third at three-under. Spain’s Jon Rahm fired a 67 to climb into a tie for seventh at two-under, alongside Louis Oosthuizen, David Puig, Branden Grace and Harold Varner III.
Hatton leads after disrupted buildup
Hatton missed LIV Golf Korea last week to attend the birth of his first child. He arrived in Spain with minimal practice, having hit between 35 and 75 balls a day in his home swing studio while helping his partner Emily recover from a C-section.
“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 said, according to Field Level Media. “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.”
Testing conditions at Valderrama
Gusty winds made Valderrama a punishing test on Friday, with even well-struck approaches drifting off greens. Hatton’s round included an eagle on the par-5 17th hole along with three birdies and three bogeys, with a strong back nine pulling him clear of the field.
Garcia offered a vivid example of the conditions: “I hit my 8-iron 120 yards and I tried to keep it down. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Hatton, known for wearing his frustrations on his sleeve, joked that the course might help his peers understand his mindset. “Obviously I lose my head around the simplest of golf courses,” he said. “Maybe guys playing this week, it kind of brings them closer to my level of losing their mind.”
Detry grinding in fifth consecutive week
Detry, competing in his fifth straight event, sits closest to the lead but dropped shots late on Friday. “It’s a grind out there,” Detry said. “Bit of a shame to have leaked two more shots there on 15 and 18. But I feel like my game is in a pretty good spot.”
Rahm, who said he got “Valderramaed” in round one, played his way back into contention with the joint-lowest score of the day. Bryson DeChambeau and Abraham Ancer are further back at one-under, while Dustin Johnson sits at two-over.
Weekend stakes
A win would give Hatton his second LIV Golf title since joining the league in 2024, when he won in Nashville during his debut season. He is not looking past the congested leaderboard.
“It’s a quality leaderboard, there’s a long way to go, and I’ll just keep trying my best,” Hatton said.
With Garcia, Smith and Rahm all within four shots on a course where conditions can shift quickly, the final round at Valderrama is set up for a tight finish.
