Tyrrell Hatton Wins LIV Golf Andalucia, Holding Off Jon Rahm as Legion XIII Sweeps Valderrama

A week ago, Tyrrell Hatton was at home with his newborn daughter instead of playing in Korea. On Sunday he was holding a trophy at Valderrama, having led or shared the lead after every round and then holding off his own captain down the stretch.

Hatton closed with a 1-under 70 to win LIV Golf Andalucia at 11-under 273, two shots clear of Legion XIII teammate Jon Rahm, who charged with a 67. Abraham Ancer finished alone in third at 8 under, Sergio Garcia fourth at 7 under. And in a twist nobody saw coming on Saturday night, Legion XIII erased an eight-shot deficit to beat 4Aces GC by six and complete a clean sweep of both trophies.

A Stressful Sunday, Then the Finishing Kick

Hatton did not cruise. His approach play set up birdies at the ninth and 13th, but bogeys kept leaking in, and with the wind making every club selection a gamble, the two-shot cushion he started with never felt safe. "The wind certainly made my life very stressful," Hatton said afterward.

The win was decided over the last three holes. Hatton rolled in a 16-foot birdie putt at the par-4 16th, then got up and down for birdie at the par-5 17th, a hole he had birdied or eagled every day this week. Those two late birdies were enough to keep Rahm at arm's length.

It is Hatton's second LIV Golf title, after Nashville in 2024, and his first win on any tour in nearly 18 months. He now has wins at St Andrews, Wentworth, Bay Hill and Valderrama, a list of venues that reads like a highlight reel. The $4 million first prize did not hurt either.

The bigger shift is personal. Hatton missed LIV Golf Korea to be with his wife, Emily, and their newborn daughter, Althea, then arrived in Spain admitting he was nervous about how rusty he might be. "One of my motivations probably moving forward is when Althea grows up, she will know that I was pretty good at golf sometimes," Hatton said. That is about as sentimental as Hatton gets, and it landed.

Rahm's Charge Falls Short

Rahm made it interesting. The Spaniard birdied the second and then eagled the par-5 fourth, ripping a 203-yard second shot to 5 feet, and suddenly the home favorite was within range. Then the round stalled: 10 straight holes without a birdie at 1 over. Rahm found his spark again late, nearly acing the 15th and closing with birdies, but by then he was out of runway.

Hatton said Rahm had warned him he would make the afternoon stressful, and that he did in the end. Rahm was gracious in defeat. "He's a truly deserving champion," Rahm said, before conceding that "finishing second in Spain stings just a little bit more."

It is the second straight year Rahm has finished runner-up at Valderrama, after placing second behind Talor Gooch a year ago. He now has four wins and eight runner-up finishes in 35 regular-season LIV starts, and he stays atop the season points standings.

Detry's Sunday Slide

Thomas Detry began the day alone in second, two back, and with plenty to play for. Three early bogeys ended that hope quickly, and a 74 dropped him into a tie for fifth at 5 under with teammate Dustin Johnson (71), David Puig and Cameron Smith. The fallout extended beyond this week: Joaquin Niemann, who finished T24, held on to the LIV exemption into the Open Championship as the highest-ranked non-exempt player in the standings, with Detry the next closest.

Ancer's 68 was the best final round among the contenders not named Rahm, and it lifted him into solo third. Garcia shot 70 for fourth, his 18th top-10 finish in 19 career starts at Valderrama, though a back nine with one bogey and no birdies kept him from making a real run at a fifth title here. Bubba Watson finished ninth at 4 under, and Anirban Lahiri rounded out the top 10 at 3 under.

Legion XIII's 14-Shot Swing

The team competition delivered the day's most improbable result. 4Aces GC began Sunday at 12 under with an eight-shot lead. Legion XIII, at 4 under, needed a minor miracle.

It got one. Legion was the only team to break par in the final round, posting 3 under behind Rahm's 67, 70s from Hatton and Tom McKibbin, and a 74 from Caleb Surratt. "I knew there was a few chances on the last couple of holes," McKibbin said. Meanwhile, 4Aces came apart at 11 over for the day. Detry's 74, Anthony Kim's 73 and a 77 from Thomas Pieters sank the overnight leaders, and Johnson's 71 could not hold the line.

The result: Legion XIII at 7 under, 4Aces GC at 1 under, and Torque GC third at 1 over after an even-par Sunday. Ripper GC finished fourth at 4 over. Legion defended its Andalucia team title and claimed its 10th regular-season team win in 35 starts since the team launched in 2024, matching Crushers GC for the most in league history. Legion's team prize was $3 million.

The Takeaway

Hatton did not need to be spectacular on Sunday. He needed to be stubborn, and he was, making the putts at 16 and 17 that mattered while the players around him blinked. Rahm keeps knocking, Legion XIII keeps winning team titles, and LIV Golf heads into a six-week break with a new father holding the latest trophy.

Full final-round details are in the LIV Golf Round 4 recap (opens in a new tab). Relive the week with our Round 1, Round 2 and Round 3 recaps.

Sources: LIV Golf (Round 4 recap), AP via theScore, Golf News Net. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: Montana Pritchard/LIV Golf.