LIV Golf returns to action June 30-July 2 with a venture across the pond to Real Club Valderrama in Andalusia, Spain. The eighth LIV Golf event of the year is notably the first since Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which finances LIV Golf, reached a framework agreement with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to merge commercial assets under a new entity. The agreement ends litigation between the parties after the PGA Tour and PIF were engaged in roughly a year-long power struggle in professional golf.
As for the on-course storylines, Harold Varner III emerged a winner during the most recent LIV Golf event in late May at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C., shooting 12 under to defeat Brendan Grace by one stroke. It marked Varner's third professional win overall and first in a LIV event after finishing in the top 10 in each of his two previous LIV Golf starts. Torque GC, featuring Joaquin Niemann, David Puig, Mito Pereira and Sebastián Muñoz, captured its second team title of the season in that event.
Varner III will look for another strong finish as the scenery shifts to Spain, but there will be challengers. Among them is 2023 PGA Champion and Masters runner-up Brooks Koepka. Cam Smith is only two weeks removed from a top-five finish at the U.S. Open, an event in which 15 players in the 48-man field for Valerrama played. 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia is also a name to watch as he looks to secure a victory in his homeland.
The upcoming LIV Golf event at Real Club Valderrama will be the first of two European events for the circuit in as many weeks in the lead up to the Open Championship from July 19-23 at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in England. LIV Golf returns to the Centurion Club outside of London, where the circuit debuted last summer, the weekend of July 7-9. LIV Golf goes on hiatus after that until early August, when the circuit resumes play at the Greenbrier in West Virginia.
How to watch LIV Golf Valderrama
Event: LIV Golf Valderrama | June 30-July 2
Purse: $25 million ($20 million individual, $5 million team)
Start time: 7:15 a.m. ET (Rounds 1-2), 7:05 a.m. ET (Round 3)
Location: Real Club Valderrama — Andalucía, Spain
Viewing info: CW App
LIV Golf Valderrama team standings
Position | Team Name | Players | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 Aces | Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Peter Uihlein, Pat Perez | 124 |
2 | Stinger | Louis Oosthuizen, Charlie Schwartzel, Dean Burmester, Brendan Grace | 108 |
3 | Torque | Joaquin Niemann, David Puig, Mito Pereira, Sebastián Muñoz | 97 |
4 | RangeGoats | Bubba Watson, Thomas Pieters, Talor Gooch, Harold Varner III | 91 |
5 | Crushers | Bryson DeChambeau, Charles Howell III, Anirban Lahiri, Paul Casey | 80 |
6 | Fireballs | Sergio Garcia, Carlos Ortiz, Abraham Ancer, Eugenio Chacarra | 66 |
7 | Smash | Brooks Koepka, Chase Koepka, Matthew Wolff, Jason Kokrak | 44 |
8 | Ripper | Cameron Smith, Matt Jones, Marc Leishman, Jediah Morgan | 23 |
9 | Iron Heads | Kevin Na, Scott Vincent, Sihwan Kim, Danny Lee | 19 |
10 | HyFlyers | Phil Mickelson, Cameron Tringale, Brendan Steele, James Piot | 19 |
11 | Majesticks | Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, Sam Horsfield | 12 |
12 | Cleeks | Martin Kaymer, Richard Bland, Graeme McDowell, Bernd Wiesberger | 10 |