LIV Golf Andalucía Round 1: The Poniente Stops Valderrama, and Three Share the Lead

Valderrama never needs help being difficult. On Friday it got some anyway, from a Poniente wind that forced LIV Golf into a first: leaving a round unfinished overnight.

The horn sounded at 5:07 p.m. local time, just over four hours after the shotgun start of LIV Golf Andalucía at Real Club Valderrama, with players still three to five holes from the clubhouse. When the field came back early Saturday morning to finish the job, three names sat on top at 2 under: Smash GC's Talor Gooch, Ripper GC captain Cameron Smith and Torque GC captain Joaquin Niemann, each with a 2-under 69. In the team race, Bryson DeChambeau's Crushers GC finished the opening round in front at 3 over, a number that tells you everything about the conditions.

When the Balls Started Moving

The decision to stop play had nothing to do with lightning or rain. It was the ball itself. Gusts reached the low 30s in miles per hour, the greens had dried out and firmed up, and players were watching putts refuse to stop and balls wobble at address. The 11th and 14th greens, the most exposed on the property, were close to unputtable by late afternoon.

Brad Ullman, LIV Golf's vice president of rules, called it the right call, per Arab News. "These Poniente winds of southern Spain are no joke," Ullman said, adding that the balls were simply moving too much for officials to let play continue.

It was the first time in league history that a round could not be completed on the day it started. The field returned at 8 a.m. Saturday to finish up before heading straight into the second round.

Smith's Wild Ride

Smith had looked like the player who would run away with the day. He was bogey-free through 13 holes and 4 under, three shots clear of everyone, despite a driving day that would have rattled most players. He found the fairway with his first tee shot and then missed the next eight, with decent drives bouncing through into the first cut.

Then Valderrama bit back. A double bogey at the 15th and a bogey at the 16th dropped him to 1 under by the time the horn blew. "When you get 30 mile-an-hour gusts, it's definitely not an easy place to get around," Smith said. He admitted the finish was hard to swallow, but he picked up a shot when play resumed and signed for 69.

Three at the Top

Gooch has history here. He won this event in 2023, and he played Friday like someone who remembered the angles. The highlight was a birdie at the par-4 10th, where his approach stopped two feet from the hole. Gooch was one of five players at 1 under when play stopped, then finished his last five holes Saturday morning a shot better to grab his share of the lead.

Niemann's card was the cleanest in the field on Friday. He was the only player without a bogey when the horn sounded, with a birdie at the par-5 fourth and a run of steady pars around it. He also added a shot on Saturday morning to post 69. The Chilean leads the season standings with four wins in 2025, and he has won every other event this year.

Right behind the leaders at 1 under are Stinger GC's Branden Grace, 4Aces GC's Patrick Reed and DeChambeau, each with a 70. Grace is fighting relegation for a second straight season, so this start matters. Reed was 1 over when the horn blew on Friday and picked up two shots in the morning. A group at even par includes Legion XIII captain Jon Rahm, the Spanish crowd favorite.

The Westwood Wobble

Lee Westwood was one of the five tied for the lead on Friday evening after birdies on four of his first seven holes, a double bogey and a closing string of pars. Saturday morning was not kind. The Majesticks GC co-captain gave back four shots over his remaining holes and signed for 74, falling well off the pace.

Only six players finished the round under par. Danny Lee and Henrik Stenson opened with 77s, Dean Burmester shot 78 and Carlos Ortiz posted 79. The wind punished every lapse.

Crushers Hold the Team Lead

Under LIV's 2025 format, all four scores count every round, so a bad hole for anyone shows up on the team board. Crushers GC handled that best. DeChambeau's 70 led the way, Paul Casey and Charles Howell III each shot 72 and Anirban Lahiri added a 73 for a 3-over total. The Crushers arrived chasing a fourth straight team win.

Legion XIII is one shot back at 4 over, with Rahm and Caleb Surratt at 71, Tyrrell Hatton at 72 and Tom McKibbin at 74. 4Aces GC is third at 7 over. Smash GC, carried by Gooch and a 71 from Jason Kokrak, shares fourth with Cleeks GC at 8 over after Brooks Koepka and Graeme McDowell both posted 76. HyFlyers GC, Ripper GC and Fireballs GC are tied for sixth at 9 over. Torque GC, despite Niemann's share of the lead, sits 10th at 13 over, while Iron Heads GC and Stinger GC share last at 15 over.

What Comes Next

With only 54 holes on the schedule, the wind delay has squeezed the event into a long Saturday, and a 2-under total is good enough to lead. Three players share the top, eight of the 13 teams sit within six shots of the Crushers, and the question for the second round is simple: does the Poniente come back?

More from the opening round in Arab News' first-round report (opens in a new tab) and on LIV Golf's Andalucía event page (opens in a new tab).

Sources: LIV Golf, Field Level Media, Arab News, Business Today, Golf News Net. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: LIV Golf.