Talor Gooch Wins LIV Golf Andalucía Again, Holding Off Jon Rahm's 65 at Valderrama

Talor Gooch spent Sunday at Valderrama watching a four-shot lead shrink to almost nothing, and then he hit the kind of iron shot that makes a whole week worth it.

Standing in the 18th fairway with a one-shot lead over Jon Rahm, the Smash GC star flushed a 210-yard approach that finished pin high on the back fringe. Two putts later, Gooch had a 1-under 70, a 54-hole total of 8-under 205 and a one-shot win at LIV Golf Andalucía. It is his second title at Real Club Valderrama in three years, his fourth individual LIV Golf win and his first since his breakthrough 2023 season.

Rahm did not leave empty-handed. His Legion XIII came from five shots back to win the team title.

A Four-Shot Lead Gets Tested

Gooch began the day at 7 under with a four-shot cushion over Dustin Johnson, but this course had already shown it could swallow a lead. A year earlier, Anirban Lahiri sat on the same four-shot margin entering the final round and lost in a playoff.

The threat this time came from further back. Johnson faded with a 72. Branden Grace, solo third overnight, posted a steady 69 but could not get within range. The real charge belonged to Rahm, who started the day six behind and turned in one of the rounds of the season.

Gooch never collapsed, but he never pulled away, either, and his 70 left the door open long enough to make the final hole a genuine test. He said afterward that nothing about the day was easy and that a handful of back-nine shots would stay with him for good.

The Shot

The closing stretch settled it. Gooch birdied the par-5 17th, per Compleat Golfer, and with the margin at one on the final tee, he faced 210 yards into the closing green and put it on line, landing it softly enough to stay on the back fringe with a straightforward two-putt left. His caddie, Mal Baker, was impressed enough to tell him something Gooch repeated afterward: "that's the best iron shot he can remember seeing."

The win lifted Gooch to sixth in the individual season points. It also added to a strong record at this venue, where he won the 2023 edition by catching Bryson DeChambeau on the final day.

Rahm's Home Crowd Charge

Rahm gave the Spanish galleries everything they wanted short of a trophy. He played a bogey-free 6-under 65 to finish alone in second at 7 under, matching Matt Jones for the low round of the day. He also hit the longest measured drive of the round, 373.4 yards at the 11th. Rahm said it was one of the better rounds he had played in a long time. The result moved him to second in the individual standings, just over 12 points behind Joaquin Niemann.

Abraham Ancer of Fireballs GC finished solo third at 5 under after a bogey-free 66 that started with three birdies in the first five holes. It was Ancer's second podium of the season after a tie for second in Adelaide.

Legion XIII Steals the Team Title

The team race flipped completely on Sunday. Legion XIII started third at 7 over, five shots behind 4Aces GC, and shot 12 under as a team, the best team round of the day. Rahm's 65 and a 5-under 66 from Tom McKibbin did the damage, Caleb Surratt recovered from a 4-over front nine to shoot 70 and Tyrrell Hatton added an even-par 71. Legion XIII finished at 5 under for its third team title of 2025.

Fireballs GC made a run of its own, shooting 11 under on Sunday to finish second at 3 under, led by Ancer's 66 and a 67 from Josele Ballester. Smash GC and 4Aces GC, the top two overnight, managed only 3 under and 2 under on Sunday and finished level at even par.

McKibbin's 66 included six birdies and moved him into a tie for fourth, his best finish since joining LIV Golf, ahead of a trip to The Open at Royal Portrush. Rahm called his teammate's swing one of the prettiest on the planet.

Crushers GC, chasing a fourth straight team win, closed with a 1-under round, finished seventh at 10 over and lost the season lead to Legion XIII.

Relegation Math and Other Movers

Matt Jones and Branden Grace both finished tied for fourth at 4 under, and both needed it. Jones started the week 48th in the points list, the last spot inside the Open Zone, and his 65 moved him up to 36th. Grace began 49th, the first spot in the Drop Zone, and climbed to 37th after his closing 69. It was the best LIV finish of Jones' career and Grace's best since a runner-up at LIV Golf DC in 2023.

Niemann's run of winning every other event ended with a tie for 23rd, though he still leads the season standings. DeChambeau closed with a 74 and tied for 30th. Cameron Smith, Johnson and Cameron Tringale shared seventh at 2 under.

The Takeaway

Gooch came into the week without a win since 2023 and leaves with his fourth LIV title on a course that keeps bringing out his best. Legion XIII, meanwhile, now owns the season lead in the team race. With The Open next on the calendar, LIV's regular season has three events left, and the points table just got a lot more interesting.

Catch up on Round 1 and Round 2, and read LIV Golf's final-round news and notes (opens in a new tab).

Sources: LIV Golf, Fox Sports, Business Today, Compleat Golfer, Irish Golfer, Golf News Net. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: LIV Golf.