The Spanish Open weekend is approaching and home hero Angel Hidalgo leads the way in Madrid, with the Spaniard sitting at 10 under, four strokes ahead of Englishman Joe Dean.
Heading into the tournament, eyes were on LIV Golf's Jon Rahm, who only fully committed to the tournament on Wednesday following the birth of his third child. Rahm is looking to claim a historic fourth victory in Spain, surpassing the legendary Seve Ballesteros, and is in a strong position going into the final 36 holes.
The two-time major champion, who shot a three-under 68 on Thursday and a two-under 69 on Friday, is five strokes behind compatriot Hidalgo as Rahm looks to continue Stay current including LIV Golf. Won the league individual title two weeks ago.
Rahm joins LIV Golf at the end of 2023, and there has been much discussion about whether Rahm will attempt to qualify for the Ryder Cup. To qualify, he needed to compete in four DP World Tour events, and after qualifying for the Olympics, Lahm was two events behind with Madrid club Campo Villa.
Patrick Reed, who joins Rahm in the event, shot a 5-under 66 on Friday, leaving the American tied with Rahm at 5-under. victory.
Currently in 2024, Reed has competed in several DP World Tour events, including the Italian Open and BMW International Open, where he finished tied for 29th and tied for 13th respectively. In addition to competing in the Spanish Open, he will join several other LIV golfers in next week's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
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Rahm and Reed are at 5 under, with Spain's David Puig just one shot behind at 4 under, with the 22-year-old finishing second. In his second appearance at the Spanish Open, he shot consecutive 69s and finished in the top ten. . He last competed in the event in 2020, when Puig finished tied for 34th.
Puig's teammate Eugenio Chacarra, a member of the LIV Golf Tour Fireballs GC, also finished under par after the Spaniard shot a 2-under 69 on Friday. , shot 1 under par in the championship. He's ranked just outside the top 25, but could fall into contention if he doesn't perform well on Saturday.
The final LIV player was Tyrrell Hatton, who shot back with a 3-under 68 on Friday after shooting a 3-under 74 on Thursday. The Thirteenth Legion GC player jumped over 40 spots in the second round and, like Rahm, the Englishman is using the tournament to help improve his European rankings after competing in the British Masters in August. A chance to earn a spot on the German Cup team.
LIV Golf Rankings at the Spanish Open
- The third time: -5 Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed
- T8: -4 David Puig
- Issue 23: -1 Eugenio Chakara
- T38: Tyrell Hatton
