Dustin Johnson had a few practice days to get acquainted with Real Club Valderrama. Jason Kokrak, meanwhile, had travel and luggage issues and was unable to take a single swing until Friday’s opening round of LIV Golf Andalucía.

Yet both players produced the same score in challenging conditions on one of Europe’s top courses, each shooting 4-under 67 to share the lead by one shot over Anirban Lahiri. Cameron Smith, Kevin Na and Individual Champion point leader Talor Gooch are tied for fourth at 2 under.

Lahiri’s Crushers GC top the team leaderboard at 4 under, the same score as the individual leaders – evidence of how difficult Valderrama played, especially with winds nearing 20 mph. Just 14 of the 48 players in the field managed to shoot under par on Friday.

“The course is really difficult,” said Johnson, the 4Aces GC captain who is looking for his second individual victory this season. “The wind obviously, especially for the first 15 holes, was blowing really hard. The greens definitely started to firm up towards the end of the round.

“No matter if the wind is blowing or not, this course plays tough just because you have to be so precise on every single shot. That’s why I think the golf course is so great, and it’s a lot of fun to play.”

It was even fun for Kokrak, despite travel issues that included flight cancellations and missed connections which delayed his arrival until early Wednesday morning. His golf clubs were delayed even more, not arriving until 5 p.m. Thursday.

Kokrak arrived early on Friday morning to walk the back nine, added a half-hour to his normal warmup routine, and then bounced back from an early bogey with three straight birdies. He finished with six birdies, tying for most in the field.

“Kind of a crazy situation,” Kokrak said. “…  I left home striking it nice, playing well, and really pleased with the clubs I have in my bag. I was confident when I got my clubs as long as they weren’t broken or bent.”

Johnson and Kokrak are among the many players in the field getting their first taste of Valderrama’s challenging layout. Even the players who have a history with the course were worn out after the round – including three-time Valderrama winner Sergio Garcia, the Spanish star who’s the unofficial host for this week.

Garcia was happy with his 1-under 70 that left him tied for seventh.

“It was a grind. I’m not going to lie,” said the Fireballs GC captain, who has 14 top 10s in 15 previous starts at Valderrama. “Obviously, it was tough. The course was playing firm. It’s probably the hardest wind that we play here, that Poniente wind coming from the west. … I’m happy about shooting under par in these conditions and without playing amazingly. It was a positive day.”

TEAM COUNTING SCORES

Here are the standings and counting scores for Friday’s opening round of the team competition at LIV Golf Andalucía. The three best scores from each team count in every round for their total team score. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds win the team title.
1. CRUSHERS GC (-4): Anirban Lahiri 68, Bryson DeChambeau 70, Paul Casey 71
2. RIPPER GC (-3): Cameron Smith 69, Marc Leishman 70, Matt Jones 71
3. MAJESTICKS GC (-2): Ian Poulter 70, Henrik Stenson 70, Laurie Canter 71
4. TORQUE GC (-1): Joaquin Niemann 70, Sebastián Muñoz 70, Mito Pereira 71
T5. 4ACES GC (E): Dustin Johnson 67, Patrick Reed 71, Peter Uihlein 75
T5. SMASH GC (E): Jason Kokrak 67, Brooks Koepka 71, Chase Koepka 75
T7. RANGEGOATS GC (+1): Talor Gooch 69, Bubba Watson 72, Thomas Pieters 73
T7. CLEEKS GC (+1): Richard Bland 70, Graeme McDowell 71, Bernd Wiesberger 73
T9. FIREBALLS GC (+2): Sergio Garcia 70, Abraham Ancer 72, Carlos Ortiz 73
T9. STINGER GC (+2): Dean Burmester 70, Charl Schwartzel 71, Louis Oosthuizen 74
T11. HYFLYERS GC (+5): Cameron Tringale 71, Phil Mickelson 73, Brendan Steele 74
T11. IRON HEADS GC (+5): Kevin Na 69, Danny Lee 72, Scott Vincent 77

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A majority of the 48 LIV Golf League members have never seen Real Club Valderrama until this week. But one player does have extensive history here: 15 tournament starts, finishing inside the top 10 on all but one occasion.

Oh, and he’s won three times.

If ever one player had a significant advantage over the rest of the field in terms of course knowledge and track record, it would be Sergio Garcia at Valderrama, the host site for LIV Golf Andalucía.

“Yeah, we’re all playing for second place,” joked his Fireballs GC teammate Carlos Ortiz on the eve of Friday’s first round.

Of course, golf is not that cut-and-dried. Advantages don’t always translate into wins. Prior success is no guarantee of future performance. Form can change, weather can become a factor, other players can get hot.

Still, it’s Garcia on his favourite course. He’s an honorary member here and the unofficial host. He’ll enjoy the largest galleries and the loudest support. It will likely make a difference on both the individual and team leaderboards. The Fireballs have an advantage that the other 11 teams can’t match.

“The only disadvantage is probably not having Sergio on the team,” said fellow League captain Joaquin Niemann of Torque GC. “I think he’s showed how good he’s played during the years in Valderrama, how his game fits on this golf course.

“But I think there is so many ways to play this golf course that it doesn’t matter how — there’s not one way to do it. I think you can find your own way and stick to it, be confident around here, and just do your golf shots.”

The question really becomes: How much of an advantage? Valderrama is not an easy course. Players respect it as one of the world’s best courses, but it can also be unforgiving. Another previous winner on the course, Graeme McDowell of Cleeks GC, once acknowledged his “love-hate relationship” with the course.

“I love how special a place it is,” he said several years ago, “but hate how tough it can be.”

Garcia has embraced all of it. That Valderrama forces you to think, forces you to utilize all 14 clubs in the bag. And that if the wind is up, low scores can be non-existent.

Garcia has won twice shooting 12 under, and once at 6 under. In one of the three times he’s been a runner-up, he shot 1 under. And the only time he’s finished outside the top 10, he shot 17 over (a T34 result in 2007).

Yes, he knows the course, but he’s taking nothing for granted this week.

“You may say that I do have a little bit of an advantage because of the number of times that I’ve played here; that it’s my favourite golf course in the world and I love it,” the 43-year-old Spanish star said. “But at the end of the day, it comes down to standing over the tee shots and the second shots and the putts and trusting it and pulling actually the right shot.

“This course is the kind of course that if you’re playing well, it gives you opportunities, but if you’re a little bit off, then it’s a struggle to save par. You still have to play really, really well. “

Even so, Garcia’s course knowledge not only is a plus for his own fate this week, it should by extension be a positive for his Fireballs GC teammates.

“Obviously, it helps to have Sergio on the team,” said fellow Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra, who considers Garcia not only a mentor but his second father. “Everybody will want Sergio, not just this week but pretty much every week. We are happy to have him, and hopefully he can win, he can have a good week and if that happens, I know our chances are high.”

Last summer, Ortiz – born in Mexico but now living in the U.S. – travelled to Spain and hung out with Chacarra, a native of Madrid. The two spent a couple of weeks together and played Valderrama multiple times. What did they learn?

“You just have to play really well, or you’re going to have a tough time,” Ortiz said. “You can’t fake it around here.”

Meanwhile, the fourth member of the Fireballs – Abraham Ancer of Mexico – had never seen the course until this week. That puts him in the same predicament as most others in the field.

Unlike those others, he’ll be able to benefit from Garcia’s tutelage and insight.

“I definitely talked to Abraham a lot about coming here, and he was very anxious to know things about Valderrama because he knew that he was going to love it, and I think it’s a course that sets up great for him and we’re excited to see all of us play well,” Garcia said.

Ancer realizes Garcia’s course management at Valderrama may not be an exact blueprint for his own game. For instance, Garcia is a longer hitter off the tee, so different landing zones could dictate a strategy adjustment.

“Like, there’s some holes that he might be a little more aggressive than I am just because there are many trees that we need to carry for you to take that line that maybe I just can’t pull off,” Ancer said.

“But it’s just every hole, you can be very aggressive, or you can be very conservative, and I feel like … maybe some of the par 3s, I think pretty much all of them, I’m trying to remember – which one is the one with, I think it’s 6?”

“6, with the little tier,” Garcia jumped in, referring to the 173-yard hole, the shortest par 3 on the course.

“6, we talked about that one,” Ancer continued. “They have some really sketchy pin placements that can happen, and if it gets firm, there are some spots that you can’t miss it. Mainly we talked about that. Some spots, how to attack and when you see this pin placement, you can’t really go at it. Stuff like that.”

It’s stuff like that which could very well make a difference this week. The Fireballs already have one team victory this season and would dearly love to join Torque as two-time winners in 2023 in hopes of eventually securing a top-four spot in the team standings and a bye for the first round of the Team Championship.

As for Garcia, there would be nothing more fitting than to celebrate his first individual victory in LIV Golf here at Valderrama. But the course is not going to simply hand over the trophy to its favourite son this week without a proper test.

“History is always nice,” Garcia said, “but it doesn’t mean that I’m starting 6-under par and the rest are starting even.”

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In build-up to this week’s highly anticipated LIV Golf tournament in Spain, LIV Golf and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport of the Government of Andalucía announced today a multi-year partnership which will now see the event exclusively entitled “LIV Golf Andalucía.” Under the terms of the partnership, ‘Andalucía’ will become the Official Destination Partner of LIV Golf Andalucía. 

The tournament, which takes place at Real Club Valderrama from June 30 – July 2, will be LIV Golf’s first-ever event played in continental Europe. As a globally renowned destination for sport and culture, Andalucía welcomed 32.5 million tourists last year, and counts golf tourism as a key pillar to drive visitors to the region. With this agreement, Andalucía reiterates its commitment to bringing global attractions for fans and tourists to the iconic destination.

Said regional Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports, Arturo Bernal: “The region once again becomes the centre of attention in the global golf scene, with the tournament that brings together the best players in the premier destination for this sport in Southern Europe.” Bernal highlighted the potential of the golf industry in the community, “with over a hundred courses that welcome travellers from all over the world and a wide and diverse range of complementary offerings, featuring an unparalleled combination of culture, gastronomy, climate, nature, and iconic cities.”

The collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports of the Andalucian Regional Government and this tournament, with the co-financing of European Funds, is part of the strategy to attract major sporting events and golf to the destination and will be accompanied by the promotion of the Andalucía brand at other LIV Golf League events around the globe.

“This partnership with Andalucía exemplifies local leadership embracing LIV Golf and the tremendous value that teamwork can bring to a region,” said LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman. “From the start of the season, this event has been circled on our calendars as a special opportunity to showcase our international stars at a world-class destination, and we are proud to do so with support from a forward-thinking partner like the Andalucían Tourism and Sport Board. Following other successful partnerships in Australia and Singapore, this week’s tournament announcement continues the momentum being built through LIV Golf’s global impact that is engaging a new generation of golf fans around the world.”

LIV Golf’s ground-breaking league features 13 major champions with a combined 25 major wins, including reigning PGA Championship winner and five-time major champion Brooks Koepka, reigning Open champion Cameron Smith, six-time major winner and World Golf Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson, two-time major winners Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson, and 2017 Masters champion and Spanish legend Sergio Garcia. The league’s roster of international favourites and rising stars include Spaniards Eugenio Chacarra and David Puig who are both making their professional debuts this week in front of home crowds.

Widely regarded as one of the best golf courses in Europe, Real Club Valderrama has a rich golfing history and has hosted some of the sport’s biggest events including the 1997 Ryder Cup. Having competed for their countries more than 25 years ago, Mickelson and former world No. 1 Lee Westwood will once again tee off at the very site of that famous Ryder Cup, now with LIV Golf’s supercharged league featuring both individual and team competition, shotgun starts and an energized atmosphere that delivers family-friendly entertainment and excitement for all ages.

Grounds passes for LIV Golf Andalucía start from €42 per day and are all inclusive of the tournament fan activities on site. Hospitality packages offering an exclusive tournament experience featuring premium seating, food and drink offerings are also available. Kids aged 12 years and under receive complimentary admission to the tournament when accompanied by an adult who has a ground pass for the selected day. For more information on the event and to purchase tickets, please visit www.LIVGolf.com.

The LIV Golf League is owned and operated by LIV Golf Investments whose vision and mission is centred around making holistic and sustainable investments to enhance the global golf ecosystem and unlock the sport’s untapped worldwide potential.

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Spanish star Sergio Garcia’s love affair with Real Club Valderrama began as a teenager. Call it a wildly successful relationship.

In 15 professional starts at Valderrama, Garcia has 14 top-10 finishes, including wins in three consecutive starts (2011, 2016, 2017 at the Andalucía Masters), along with three second-place results. One of those was a playoff loss to Ian Poulter in 2004 at the Volvo Masters.

This week at LIV Golf Valderrama, he returns to the course that’s generally considered as the finest in continental Europe and one of the best in the world. As the captain of Fireballs GC, the 43-year-old Garcia would love nothing better than to hoist two trophies on Sunday – one as the individual winner, the other for the team title.

Here are a few thoughts from Garcia on his favourite course.

Q: When was the first time you played Valderrama?

SERGIO GARCIA: “I was probably 13, I would say. Probably like Spain versus England, some kind of match like that.”

Q: Did you know right away that it was the course for you?

GARCIA: “Yeah, from the beginning, from the first time I played. Just amazing shape. It was love at first shot. I love Valderrama.”

Q: What is it about Valderrama that you enjoy?

GARCIA: “It’s my favourite golf course in the world, but some guys don’t like it. For me, I just love that even though it’s not a long course – it’s a 7,000-yard, par 71 – it makes you think, and it makes you hit every club in the bag. That’s something I think good courses do. Good courses are asking you to think about what you want to do and, and they’re making you hit pretty much every club you have in the bag. And I love that kind of design – tight, trees, doglegs, small greens. It’s the kind of design that I’ve always envisioned in my mind when I was going to do golf course design. I just love it.”

Q: What’s the key to success at Valderrama?

GARCIA: “You have to think your way around it well. It’s the kind of golf course that you have to be very patient, you have to put the ball in the right spots. And if you manage to do that, then you can score. But if you don’t, it’s a grind. To me, it’s the kind of golf course that could hold a major championship easily because you can make it play as tough as you want if the weather is good.”

Q: Do you have a favourite hole?

GARCIA: “Hmm, good question. I think the fourth hole [564-yard par 5] is great. I love 12 [212-yard par 3]. I think it’s a great par 3. All of the par 3s are amazing.”

Q: What is it about No. 4 that you like?

GARCIA: “It’s just a solid par 5, Like I was saying, it makes you think. If you hit a good tee shot, you can go for it, but there’s not a lot of room, so you have to be very precise with your second shot. Obviously a lot of danger right. And if you miss it left, it doesn’t leave you a lot of options with the chips. So it’s just a matter of how close from the green you lay up, depending where the flag is. And it’s a beautiful hole, with the water and the little waterfall behind it and everything. It’s very picturesque.”

Q: On the flip side, which hole has been the most challenging for you?

GARCIA: “I feel like seven [490-yard par 4] is always a tough hole. It’s a difficult fairway to hit, and the wind is usually blowing from the left, and it cambers from left to right. Seven is probably one of the toughest holes that you get out there. But if it gets firm and there’s a little bit of wind, like it usually does there, every hole is asking you for some good shots.”

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ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT

When: June 30-July 2, 2023
Where: Real Club Valderrama, Sotogrande, Cadiz, Spain
Competition: 54 holes of stroke play
Field: 48 players/12 teams
Purse: US$25 million ($20 million individual, $5 million team)
Winner’s Share: US$4 million (individual), $3 million (team)
Local tee time: Shotgun starts for Rds. 1-2 at 1:15 p.m. ET, Rd. 3 at 1:05 p.m.

KEY STORYLINES

• LIV Golf makes its first appearance in Continental Europe at the world-renowned Real Club Valderrama in Spain
• Valderrama hosted the 1997 Ryder Cup, as well as numerous elite professional events, and is considered the Augusta of Europe
• Spanish star Sergio Garcia, the captain of Fireballs GC, was born in Borriol, Castellón, and has three professional wins at Valderrama and seven pro wins in his native country
• The other two Spanish-born players on the LIV Golf League roster each turned pro in 2022 – 23-year-old Eugenio Chacarra (born in Madrid) and 21-year-old David Puig (born in La Garriga, Barcelona). Puig is the League’s youngest player.
• Garcia’s Fireballs GC includes Chacarra and Mexican stars Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz. The Fireballs are one of two Spanish-speaking teams along with Puig’s Torque GC captained by Chilean Joaquin Niemann.
• The LIV Golf League comes off its highest-attended American event, LIV Golf DC
• DC winner Harold Varner III is the sixth different individual champion in 2023, while Torque GC claimed its second team trophy of the season
• 15 LIV Golf members who played in the recent U.S. Open will be in the 48-man field, including solo fourth finisher Cameron Smith

ABOUT THE COURSE

REAL CLUB VALDERRAMA
Sotogrande, Cádiz, Spain
Par: 71
Yardage: 7,010
Ranked among the top courses in the world and No. 1 in Europe, Real Club Valderrama has hosted numerous professional events, including the 1997 Ryder Cup – the first time the event had been held in Continental Europe
Valderrama was originally designed by famed golf architect Robert Trent Jones in 1974. Jones was brought back to work on the course when Jaime Ortiz-Patiño bought the course in the mid-1980s
Valderrama is widely considered to be the “Augusta of Europe” for its championship pedigree and immaculate maintenance
The golf club is one of two in Europe to be awarded the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program Certification for its commitment to conserving and restoring natural ecosystems
The course will have four par-4 holes under 400 yards; the longest par 3 is 225 yards, the longest par 4 is 490 yards and the longest par 5 is 564 yards
The 564-yard par-5 fourth, known as La Cascada, has a pond to the right of a two-tiered green
The memorable 536-yard par-5 17th provides a natural amphitheatre for fans and offers players a challenging green guarded by water in the front left and bunkers in the back
German star Bernhard Langer owns the course record at 9-under 62 shot in 1994
Green types: Bermuda Tifway 419 on fairways and rough; T1 Creeping Bentgrass on greens.

HOW TO WATCH

United States: The CW Network airs the LIV Golf League in 100% of U.S. markets.
Friday: Live on The CW App, LIV Golf Plus and LIV Golf YouTube
Saturday and Sunday: Live on The CW App, LIV Golf Plus and LIV Golf YouTube. Tape delayed on the CW starting at 1 p.m. ET.
Global: Broadcast in over 160 international territories Live and On-Demand, free of charge, via LIV Golf Plus. Available for download on iOS, Android, FireTV, and on LIVGolfPlus.com. Also airing on 12 international broadcast partners and counting.

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