Jon Rahm once again produced a top-class performance in front of the Spanish fans at LIV Golf Andalucía. The Barrika golfer finished solo second at Real Club Valderrama on nine under par after rounds of 73, 67, 68 and 67. Tyrrell Hatton claimed the individual title at -11, completing an outstanding week for Legion XIII, which also won the team competition.
Valderrama underlined its enormous difficulty from the opening day. The wind and the demanding nature of a course that punishes even the slightest mistake pushed the scoring average above 72.5 in the first round. Jon opened with a 73, two over par. The score did not fully reflect the quality of his play from tee to green, but it left him needing to make ground over the remaining three rounds.
The response came immediately on Friday. Rahm produced an excellent 67, four under par, matching the lowest score of the day and moving into a share of seventh place at -2. The Spaniard played his final 14 holes in five under par and found the accuracy and control required to create many more birdie opportunities.
Jon maintained that momentum during the third round. His 68, three under par, took him to -5 for the tournament and into a share of fourth place. He began the final 18 holes five shots behind Hatton, but remained among the group of contenders ready to take advantage of any opportunity Valderrama might offer.
The final round produced some of Jon’s finest moments of the week. He made birdie at the second before recording a spectacular eagle at the par-five fourth, following a 362-yard drive with an eight iron that finished around five feet from the hole.
After a quieter spell with fewer opportunities, he accelerated again over the closing holes and came extremely close to a hole-in-one at the 15th. His 67, four under par, once again matched the lowest round of the day and lifted him into solo second place, two shots behind Hatton.
Beyond the final result, the week provided another impressive demonstration of Jon’s quality with his irons. Rahm led the entire field in strokes gained on approach, recording a cumulative figure of +11.43 over the four rounds. That statistic helps to explain his ability to recover from the opening 73 and reach Sunday with a genuine chance of victory.
The outcome was also outstanding for Legion XIII. Jon’s team began the final round eight shots behind 4Aces GC but was the only side to finish Sunday under par. Its combined score of -7 secured a successful defence of the Valderrama team title by six shots and delivered the tenth regular-season victory in Legion XIII’s history.
Although the individual title remained just out of reach, Rahm was able to celebrate the success of his teammate and the whole of Legion XIII. It was Jon’s fourth runner-up finish in his opening nine appearances of the season, a run that also included two victories and allowed him to extend his advantage at the top of the LIV Golf individual standings.
The week at Valderrama once again highlighted his remarkable consistency and his ability to remain in contention until the closing holes, even after a difficult start.