Hatton Leads By Two At Valderrama With Rahm And Gooch In Pursuit
Tyrrell Hatton holds a two-shot lead at the halfway stage of LIV Golf Andalucía 2026 after carding a second-round 69 at Real Club Valderrama to reach 6 under par for the tournament. The Englishman, returning to competition following the birth of his first child - an absence that caused him to miss the previous event in Korea - produced an outward half of level-par 36 before a more productive back nine of 33 to consolidate his position. Thomas Detry sits alone in second place at 4 under.
"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. "As I said yesterday, I feel like I had a good warm-up … I simplified a few things and just kind of went out with that feel." The Legion XIII player is joined in the top half of the leaderboard by his captain Jon Rahm, who recovered sharply from an opening 73 with a second-round 67 to move to 2 under and into a tie for seventh. Three Spanish players - Rahm, Sergio Garcia and David Puig - sit within the top seven at a venue that has long served as a stage for Garcia, who holds an extensive competitive history at Valderrama.
Defending champion Talor Gooch matched Rahm's 67 to move to 3 under and into a share of third alongside Garcia, Cameron Smith and Scott Vincent. Gooch, captain of OKGC, has won two of the last three LIV Golf events held at Valderrama, according to the draft. Harold Varner III also returned a 67, making three players level on the low round of the day. A hole-in-one on the 15th by Lucas Herbert provided one of Friday's sharper talking points: described in the draft as the first ace recorded at this event across LIV Golf's four visits to Andalucía, the second-longest in league history and the 17th overall, and the fifth of 2026.
The weekend rounds carry consequences beyond the immediate leaderboard. Detry's position at 4 under has strengthened his standing in the race for an Open Championship exemption, with the Belgian now holding a widening advantage over Joaquín Niemann in that competition. In the team event, Crushers GC - winners in Korea the prior week - carry the lead into the weekend, though no team finished either of the first two rounds collectively under par, a reflection of Valderrama's unrelenting demands on the entire field. Hatton and the rest of the top ten return Saturday with the cut now complete.
