Talor Gooch wrapped up a long day on the course at LIV Golf Andalucia by shooting a 5-under par 66 on Saturday to take a 4-shot lead heading into the final round at Sotogrande, Spain.
Gooch was through 10 holes at 1-under when play was suspended Friday due to high winds. The field got off to an early start Saturday to conclude the first round, with Gooch adding a birdie at the par-4 No. 13 to enter the second round in the lead at 2-under.
He is at 7-under 135 after mixing seven birdies and two bogeys in the second round at the Real Club Valderrama. Four shots back is Dustin Johnson, who fired a 7-under 64 to move to 3-under for the tournament.
Johnson, who is winless so far this season on the LIV circuit, was pleased with the round
“Pretty much when you shoot that score around here, everything is working pretty well,” he said. “I drove it well, gave myself a lot of opportunities, and just wedged it really close. I made two really good putts on 7 and 8 for par, but other than that, I had a lot of really good looks at birdie.
“Most of my birdies I made were from really short range. I just hit a lot of quality wedge shots and gave myself a lot of opportunities.”
Five strokes off the lead and in third place is South Africa’s Branden Grace, who shot back-to-back rounds of 70 to move to 2-under.
Tied for fourth are Jinichiro Kozuma of Japan (68), Jon Rahm (70) and Patrick Reed (71) at 1-under par 141.
Gooch is looking to repeat his win at Andalucia in 2023.
“It prepares you for these moments when they come up again,” Gooch said of his experience at the event. “Having done it here at this course already, it’s beneficial. It’s going to help me be a little bit more comfortable, a little bit more confident tomorrow. Hopefully we can go get it done again tomorrow.”
Last year, Spain’s Sergio Garcia came from seven strokes back to win LIV Golf Andalucia in a playoff. Another Spaniard, Rahm, is hoping to repeat the feat in front of a supportive home crowd.
“It means the world. It also feels a little heavier on you when you make mistakes or don’t take advantage of the ones that could have been,” Rahm said of the backing from the fans. “I’m not only upset for myself but I’m a little bit upset for them as well that I’m not going to have a better chance tomorrow.
“But I always like to think that things tend to even out throughout the week, and I’m hoping that those that I haven’t made today go in tomorrow.”
On the team front, Johnson’s strong round propelled his 4Aces into the lead. They stand at 2-over, with Gooch’s Smash GC — captained by Brooks Koepka — at 3-over.
–Field Level Media
