LIV Golf Andalucia Round 2: Tyrrell Hatton's Closing Eagle Builds a Two-Shot Lead

For ten holes on Friday, Tyrrell Hatton looked like a new father running on no sleep. Then he played the final eight holes at Valderrama in 4 under, capped by an eagle on the par-5 17th, and walked off with sole possession of the lead.

Hatton's 2-under 69 moved him to 6 under through 36 holes of LIV Golf Andalucia, two shots clear of 4Aces GC's Thomas Detry. Four players share third at 3 under: Sergio Garcia, Talor Gooch, Cameron Smith and Scott Vincent. In the team race, Hatton's Legion XIII posted the low round of the day at 5 under and leads at 3 under overall, two clear of Ripper GC and 4Aces GC.

Hatton Flips the Switch

The scorecard tells the story of two different rounds. Hatton went out in 36, scrapping through a front nine where good swings did not always find greens, then came home in 33. The eagle at the 17th was the exclamation point on a closing stretch that turned a grinding day into a two-shot cushion.

It is quite a turnaround for a player who had not competed since the PGA Championship and admitted on Thursday to bracing for the worst. On finding himself at the top after two rounds, Hatton was blunt: "I probably wouldn't have believed you, to be honest." Valderrama is a course he has long wanted to play in competition, and so far it has rewarded his patience.

Detry's Clean Streak Ends, but Not His Week

Detry went 32 holes without a bogey to start the tournament, the kind of discipline this course demands. He nearly made something historic along the way, coming within inches of an albatross at the par-5 11th. Bogeys at the 15th and 18th finally dented the card, and a 70 left him two back. "It's a grind out there," Detry said.

The stakes for Detry go beyond this trophy. If he holds his position, he could climb into third in LIV's season points race and grab the Open Championship exemption reserved for the top non-exempt player. He also sits 66th in the Official World Golf Ranking, just outside the top 60. A big weekend at Valderrama could take care of more than one goal at once.

Herbert's Hole of the Week

The shot of the day belonged to Lucas Herbert, who aced the 213-yard 15th. It was the first hole-in-one at this event in LIV's four visits to Valderrama, the fifth ace of the 2026 season and the 17th in league history. It also ranks as the second-longest ace LIV has seen. The timing made it even sweeter, since the 15th has been the hardest green on the course to hit, found just 35.1 percent of the time through two rounds.

Herbert's 69 got him to 1 under, and his Ripper GC teammates matched his consistency. "Feel like we're on a bit of a roll at the moment," Herbert said, and the team scorecard backs him up.

The Chasers Close In

Friday's best rounds were three 67s, from Gooch, Harold Varner III and Jon Rahm. Gooch, the OKGC captain who won this event a year ago, made four birdies on the back nine to jump from 1 over into a share of third. Varner matched that number to reach 2 under, giving OKGC two players inside the top 10.

Rahm's round was the one that changed the mood around Sotogrande. The Spaniard was 2 over after Thursday and then played his last 14 holes on Friday in 5 under to reach a tie for seventh, four behind his Legion XIII teammate. Rahm has never won at Valderrama, while Garcia has won here four times, and the two home favorites are both well within range. Rahm, for his part, was not shocked by the leader. "I'm not surprised he's playing well, you know?" he said.

Smith, meanwhile, is in the top three for the second straight week as he hunts his first win since 2023. "It's been so long since I've been in contention," Smith said, and he sounded like a player enjoying it. Branden Grace, Louis Oosthuizen and David Puig join Rahm and Varner at 2 under.

Legion XIII Takes Control of the Team Race

With all four scores counting each round, Legion XIII finally got the depth it was missing on Thursday. Rahm's 67 and Hatton's 69 led the way, and Caleb Surratt added a 71 to offset Tom McKibbin's 72. The 5-under team round moved Legion from a share of second into the outright lead at 3 under.

Ripper GC matched that 5-under round with remarkable uniformity: Herbert shot 69, and Smith, Marc Leishman and Elvis Smylie each shot 70. Ripper and 4Aces share second at 1 under. 4Aces got 68s from Dustin Johnson and Anthony Kim along with Detry's 70, which covered a 74 from Thomas Pieters. OKGC sits fourth at 3 over after a 3-under team round. Crushers GC, the overnight leaders and last week's team winners in Korea, slid to fifth at 6 over after a 6-over day.

Halfway Home

Hatton has the lead, the momentum and a teammate surging behind him. But with 36 holes to play, 10 players within four shots of him and two Spaniards stalking the top of the board on home soil, Saturday sets up as the day the contenders reveal themselves.

Full second-round details are in the LIV Golf Round 2 recap (opens in a new tab). For how the week began, read our Round 1 recap.

Sources: LIV Golf (Round 2 recap), FOX Sports, Golf News Net. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: Pedro Salado/LIV Golf.