Damien Kayat previews the 2023 LIV Golf Valderrama coming your way from the Real Club Valderrama.
2023 LIV Golf Series
LIV Golf Valderrama
Real Club Valderrama
30th June- 2nd July
The recently announced merger between LIV, the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour was real cloak-and-dagger stuff. Many felt blindsided by Jay Monahan’s actions as this Saudi-backed venture took one further step towards legitimacy. The details of the merger still need to be hashed out but it currently feels like the titanic rift caused by LIV is in a state of dormancy. Greg Norman and his cohorts will know that the wind is in their sails in this war of attrition. And this week’s venue is liable to rub some salt into the wounds.
Valderrama- host of the 1997 Ryder Cup- is one of the great bastions of European golf. I wouldn’t be surprised if LIV planned this excursion with the express purpose of riling up the golfing establishment. This will be the eighth of fourteen planned events this season. And it’s going to be a test quite unlike the behemoths that the LIV practitioners are accustomed to.
Measuring a tick above- or below- 7000 yards (depending on what yardage you believe), Valderrama isn’t the driver’s paradise that has come to characterize LIV Golf. It is a classical, tree-lined venue with a distinctly European feel (whatever that means). Designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones, the narrow fairways and tiny greens are outlined by gorgeous cork trees.
This is a test that rewards driving accuracy as it is next to impossible to find these greens from the penal rough. The greens at Valderrama are notoriously small and tricky to negotiate. This means that scrambling skills will come to the fore with various tricky runoff areas (it’s not too dissimilar from Augusta).The real star of the show is the majestic par five 17th. It is the archetypal risk-reward hole, enticing the players to take on the lake with their 2nd if they wish to create eagle opportunities. That little amphitheater will no doubt be one of the central focuses of this week’s coverage.
Cam Smith was the best of the LIV Golf stable at the recent US Open, ultimately settling for a T4 finish. It was his 2nd consecutive top 10 in a Major Championship and the Aussie should be primed for his upcoming Open Championship defence. He has been extremely consistent and makes a sensible bet atop the markets.
This is a shotmaker’s course and Brooks Koepka could thrive here. The reigning US PGA Champ couldn’t get going at LA Country Club and will be keen to get back in the winner’s circle this week. DJ is almost floating below the radar in world golf. This despite the fact that he won in Oklahoma less than a month ago. Sergio Garcia will obviously be the sentimental favourite his week (if there’s room for any sentiment in this breakaway group). He is the hometown hero and a past master of this tricky, idiosyncratic layout.
Betting Favourites (To Win)
Cameron Smith (8/1), Brooks Koepka (10/1), Dustin Johnson (12/1), Sergio Garcia (12/1), Mito Pereira (16/1)
Value Bet
Branden Grace- To Win (22/1)
This isn’t based on the fact that Grace was a former DP World Tour regular. He actually hasn’t played this course in his entire career. I’m choosing this because of Grace’s brilliant recent form in LIV action. He has finished in 2nd in each of his last two LIV starts. He lost in a playoff in Tulsa but managed to bounce back for another runner-up finish in Washington. He also ranked 1st and 4th for Scrambling in Washington and Tulsa respectively. Grace has brilliant imagination around the greens and I think he could be a factor this week.
The Man to Beat- Sergio Garcia- To Win (12/1)
I know, I know. Check your originality at the door. I just can’t look beyond Serio at this price. This is a pernickety layout that rewards familiarity. And Sergio has enjoyed something of a love affair with Valderrama. He boasts fourteen top 10 finishes in fifteen visits to this iconic course (including three DP World Tour victories). The last two wins were brilliant back-to-back triumphs at the 2017 and 2018 Andalucía Masters. He finished runner-up at the LIV Singapore in April and this event just looks made for him.
