[Picture: Getty]
LIV Golf heads to one of Europe’s most storied venues this week as the 2025 season reaches event No. 10 with LIV Golf Andalucía at Real Club Valderrama.
The tournament begins at 9.05pm Friday AEST.
Nestled in the rolling hills of southern Spain, Valderrama’s narrow fairways and demanding greens have hosted some of golf’s most memorable battles—including the 1997 Ryder Cup and, in more recent years, LIV Golf’s Spanish showcase.
Valderrama’s intimate amphitheatre setting is particularly special for local hero Sergio Garcia, the captain of Fireballs GC. Garcia has won four professional titles here, including last year’s thrilling individual playoff, and helped Fireballs GC secure a rare team playoff victory—marking the first and only time LIV Golf has produced double playoffs for both titles in one event.
But Garcia and his Fireballs won’t have the stage to themselves. Australia’s Ripper GC arrives in Andalucía in resurgent form, having climbed to fifth in the season-long team standings. Led by Open Champion Cameron Smith, the all-Australian squad of Smith, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones has shown grit and consistency this season, finishing inside the top eight teams in six tournaments. Smith, Herbert and Leishman are all confirmed to tee it up next week at The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, making Valderrama an important tune-up before the final men’s major of 2025.
Smith has been building momentum, with a run of six consecutive top-24 finishes, and Herbert is fresh off qualifying for The Open through the West Lancashire final. Leishman, who captured LIV Golf Miami earlier this year, has the creativity and experience to contend on Valderrama’s sloping, tree-lined fairways. If the Aussies can piece together three strong rounds, a second team victory in 2025 is well within reach following their earlier playoff triumph in Adelaide.
However, Ripper GC must contend with red-hot Crushers GC, who have won the past three events and could tie the league’s all-time win streak with another title this week. Legion XIII, captained by Spanish superstar Jon Rahm, and defending champions Fireballs GC will also be in the hunt on a course they know intimately.
Real Club Valderrama, designed by Robert Trent Jones and dubbed the “Augusta of Europe,” promises to challenge the world’s best with its demanding par-71 layout. The course’s 7,010 yards (6,410 metres) feature four par-4s under 400 yards, while signature holes like the risk-reward par-5 17th and the punishing par-4 18th will test nerves under pressure.
Beyond the team race, the individual battle features points leader Joaquin Niemann, who has won four times this season, and a surging Patrick Reed, fresh off his maiden LIV Golf title in Dallas. In all, 19 LIV Golf stars will depart Valderrama bound for Royal Portrush next week, adding extra motivation to finish strong in Andalucía.
For Ripper GC, a statement win in Spain would carry momentum across the Irish Sea and perhaps see them close the gap on the Crushers and Legion XIII in the season-long race.
