LIV Golf Andalucia Round 1: Tyrrell Hatton and Scott Vincent Tame a Brutal Valderrama

Tyrrell Hatton had not hit a ball outdoors since the PGA Championship, skipped last week's stop in Korea for the birth of his first child, and walked into one of the nastiest opening days LIV Golf has ever staged. So naturally he holed a 33-footer on the first green and never really let go of the lead.

Hatton and HyFlyers GC fill-in Scott Vincent each shot 4-under 67 at Real Club Valderrama on Thursday to share the first-round lead of LIV Golf Andalucia. Thomas Detry of 4Aces GC sits alone in third at 3 under after a bogey-free 68, and five players are bunched at 2 under. In the team race, Crushers GC leads at even par, two clear of a three-way tie for second.

Valderrama Bites Back

A 67 at Valderrama on a gusty Thursday is not the same number it would be anywhere else on the schedule. The field averaged 72.51 on the par-71 layout, the hardest opening round of the 2026 season by more than a shot and the sixth-hardest first round in league history. Forty-seven of the 57 players made at least one bogey inside the first 90 minutes after the shotgun start. Only Vincent and Detry got around without dropping a shot.

The wind did not just blow, it swirled. Sergio Garcia, who knows this place better than anyone in the field, described hitting an 8-iron that traveled about 120 yards into a gust on the 16th, then flushing a 3-iron on the 17th that came up well short of the 215 yards he needed to carry the water. "It doesn't make any sense," Garcia said, per LIV Golf. Bryson DeChambeau went with a more succinct review: "A mystifying golf course, that's for sure."

Hatton Picks Up Where Fatherhood Left Off

Hatton turned in 33 on the front nine, with the long putt at the first setting the tone and another birdie at the sixth among the gains. He added birdies at the 12th and 17th on the way home against a single bogey. It is the first time in his LIV career that he has held at least a share of the 18-hole lead.

The irony is that Hatton arrived expecting damage control. "I was somewhat nervous of how bad it could be today," he said after the round. Given how little golf he had played lately, a 67 here qualifies as a statement.

Vincent Keeps Knocking

Vincent is in the field because HyFlyers captain Phil Mickelson is not, and the Zimbabwean is making the most of the opening. This was his fourth start for the team, and it extended a run of form that already included three straight top-eight finishes. For the second consecutive event, Vincent owns at least a share of the first-round lead.

His 67 was built on iron play. Vincent gained 4.70 strokes on approach, the best mark in the field and his best approach round since joining LIV Golf, and he was perfect in scrambling, five for five. "It's the best 18 holes I've played this year," Vincent said. He went out in 34 and came home in 33, with late birdies at the 12th and 17th.

Detry was even tidier in the trouble department, getting up and down on all eight of his scrambling chances, one of the best single-round scrambling performances LIV has recorded. That 68 matters beyond this week, too. Detry is chasing Joaquin Niemann in the race for an Open Championship spot, and he arrived trailing by more than 44 points.

The 2-Under Crowd

The group at 2 under is a strong one. Cameron Smith shot 69 while working with new swing coach Claude Harmon III and hit 13 of 18 greens, tied for the best in the field. Garcia matched him, and so did Fireballs GC teammate David Puig, Minkyu Kim of Korean Golf Club and Branden Grace of Southern Guards GC. Garcia has finished in the top 10 in 17 of his 18 career starts at Valderrama, which makes a 69 in this wind feel like business as usual.

Jon Rahm, the other Spanish headliner, had a harder day. Rahm birdied the second and fifth, then stumbled to a 2-over 73, six behind his Legion XIII teammate. Dustin Johnson opened with 76. Talor Gooch, who won here a year ago, opened with 72.

Crushers Lead a Grinding Team Race

With all four scores counting every round this season, a day like this exposes depth immediately. Crushers GC handled it best. DeChambeau, Charles Howell III and Anirban Lahiri each posted 70, and Travis Smyth, filling in for the injured Paul Casey, added a 74 to put the team at even par.

Korean Golf Club, RangeGoats GC and Legion XIII share second at 2 over. Korean GC got 69 from Kim and 70 from Do-Yeob Mun, its best 18-hole position since Adelaide in 2024. Legion XIII leaned almost entirely on Hatton, whose 67 offset three 73s from Rahm, Tom McKibbin and Caleb Surratt. Torque GC is 9 over after a 76 from Carlos Ortiz, and Majesticks GC is already 18 over.

What Friday Changes

The forecast calls for an easterly Levante wind on Friday, which flips Valderrama around. Garcia said the first hole will play differently, the fourth and 17th turn downwind, and the 11th goes back into the breeze.

There is no cut and 54 holes remain, so nothing is settled. But on a day when par felt like a good score, Hatton, Vincent and Detry banked real separation, and Crushers proved that four steady cards can beat one brilliant one. Round 2 will show who can adjust when the wind changes direction.

Full first-round details are in the LIV Golf Round 1 recap (opens in a new tab).

Sources: LIV Golf (Round 1 recap), Arab News, Golf News Net. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: Charles Laberge/LIV Golf.