How Are The LIV Golfers Getting On At The Open de Espana?

Heading into the weekend of the Open de Espana, it's home-hero, Angel Hidalgo, who leads the way in Madrid, with the Spaniard sitting at 10-under-par, four clear of Englishman, Joe Dean.

Coming into the event, eyes were on LIV Golf's Jon Rahm, who only committed fully to the tournament on Wednesday following the birth of his third child. Looking for an historic fourth victory in Spain, which would surpass the legend Seve Ballesteros, Rahm is in a good position heading into the final 36 holes.

Carding a three-under 68 on Thursday, the two-time Major winner then produced a two-under 69 on Friday to sit at five-under, five back of compatriot Hidalgo, with Rahm hoping to carry on his form that included the LIV Golf League Individual title a fortnight ago.

Joining LIV Golf at the end of 2023, much has been made on whether Rahm will attempt to qualify for the Ryder Cup. To be eligible, he needs to play in four DP World Tour tournaments and, following his appearance at the Olympics, Rahm is now two events down following his run at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.

Along with Rahm, Patrick Reed is also playing the tournament and, following a five-under 66 on Friday, the American sits alongside Rahm at five-under-par and in contention to challenge for the victory.

Currently, in 2024, Reed has featured in a few DP World Tour events, including the Italian Open and BMW International Open, where he finished tied 29th and tied 13th. Playing at the Open de Espana, he is also set to tee it up at next week's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship alongside multiple other LIV Golfers.

As Rahm and Reed sit at five-under, Spaniard David Puig is just one shot back at four-under, as the 22-year-old produced back-to-back 69s to sit inside the top 10 on his second Open de Espana appearance. His last outing in the event came in 2020, where Puig finished in a tie for 34th.

A member of Fireballs GC on the LIV Golf circuit, Puig's team-mate, Eugenio Chacarra, is also under-par, with the Spaniard one-under for the tournament following a two-under round of 69 on Friday. He sits just outside the top 25 but, if he goes low on Saturday, could bring himself into contention.

The final LIV player is Tyrrell Hatton who, after a three-over-par round of 74 on Thursday, battled back with a three-under-par round of 68 on Friday. The Legion XIII GC player jumped over 40 spots following his second round and, like Rahm, the Englishman is using the tournament to help boost his chances of a spot on the European Ryder Cup team, following his appearance at the British Masters in August.

LIV GOLF LEADERBOARD AT THE OPEN DE ESPANA

• T3rd: -5 Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed 
• T8th: -4 David Puig
• T23rd: -1 Eugenio Chacarra
• T38th: E Tyrrell Hatton