Valderrama doesn't forgive early mistakes, and Legion XIII’s Jon Rahm learned that the hard way this week. He came close to securing his third win of the season at LIV Andalucia, but a slow start proved costly as his teammate Tyrrell Hatton came out on top.

Rahm was struggling to find his rhythm at the Southern Spain course. The Legion XIII captain pointed out how significant a win at Valderrama is.

"I think, when you win here, you truly are by far the best player in every single aspect of your game. You can't hide behind an easier setup or easier greens or wider. Like everything in your bag needs to be on for you to win here. There's no excuses. That's what I think makes it so special, the champion here is a true worthy champion," said Rahm.

Ending an 18-month winless streak, Hatton secured a win at LIV Golf Andalucia. Finishing at 11-under-par, Hatton held off his captain, Rahm, by two strokes.

“There's very few golf courses that can compare to the atmosphere that Valderrama creates. There are very few golf courses that are fit for competition more than Valderrama," he added.

The Andalucia course features cork tree-lined fairways, small greens, challenging bunkers, and coastal winds from nearby Sotogrande. Ripper GC captain Cam Smith had also previously highlighted the brutality of the greens and the course's overall difficulty.

"But it was a golf course where it was a love-hate relationship early on. I didn't play great. I didn't know how to play it. I got frustrated because I couldn't hit driver every way. Once I learned how to play it, I love it more and more every single day,” said Rahm.

After opening with a 2-over 73 in difficult winds, Rahm battled back with rounds of 67, 68, and 67 to finish runner-up after starting the final round five shots behind. While he fell two strokes short individually, Legion XIII secured the team title.

Rahm On The Legion XIII Win At LIV Andalucia

Legion XIII successfully defended its LIV Andalucia title, earning its 10th regular-season win and tying Crushers GC as the league's most successful team.

"I'm happy obviously for the team. I'm happy we're able to defend the title. I'm not sure why we do well here or a place like Mexico City, but they do have similarities. Ball striking is all our strengths, and I think, give us a tree lined golf course with some wind, we're going to defend ourselves pretty well," said Rahm.

Legion XIII rallied from eight shots behind to beat 4Aces GC by six strokes, finishing as the only team under par on Sunday.

The win was spearheaded by winner Hatton and runner-up Rahm, as youngsters Tom McKibbin and Caleb Surratt struggled with scores of 2-over and 11-over, respectively.

Follow Club Golf for more.

Written by

Avishek Sarkar

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav