It was the moment that best summed up Jon Rahm’s journey in LIV Golf tour so far. There was pro golf’s renegade circuit, basking in the glory of Bryson DeChambeau’s victory in the U.S. Open the previous week, its members cashing big checks and playing shotgun-start golf in shorts while music wailed on the course outside Nashville, Tenn. And there was Rahm, staring up into the sky, and absolutely losing his mind over a TV drone he believed had disturbed his backswing.
Nobody seems less enamored with the “Golf, But Louder” ethos of LIV than its best player, a former world No. 1 and two-time major champion who comes across as just too tightly-wound to get with the vibe. Rahm finished tied for third in that event in Nashville, his eighth top-10 in as many LIV starts this season. But he’s yet to win, he’s played poorly in majors, and looks for all the world like a guy with serious buyer’s remorse.
And the pressure only ramps up this week, as the circuit heads to Rahm’s home country of Spain for LIV Golf Andalucia at Valderrama Golf Club—where Rahm’s hero Seve Ballesteros engineered a Ryder Cup upset of the U.S. in 1997 (with Rahm’s parents in attendance). But Rahm didn’t even open as odds favorite at Andalucia; that mantle fell to DeChambeau, who followed up his Pinehurst triumph with a T3 in the Volunteer State. It’s been that kind of season for Rahmbo, indeed.
2024 LIV Andalucia Odds
Odds as of July 9
LIV Golf Andalucia Best Bets
Bryson DeChambeau to Win (+640)
The U.S. Open champion kept his Pinehurst momentum rolling at the most recent LIV Golf event in Nashville, shooting three rounds in the 60s to tie for third. It was something of a breakthrough for DeChambeau, who had previously been excellent in majors this season but largely MIA in tournaments on his home tour (Nashville was first LIV top-10 since Miami in April). Valderrama is a big-boy golf course of the type that DeChambeau has thrived on, evident in his runner-up finish there last year. Few are playing better than a guy who’s gone T3, win, T18 and win in his last four starts worldwide.
Jon Rahm Top-5 Finish (+140)
Rahm is a fierce competitor who bleeds to win, a mentality that may not mesh perfectly with the vibe of his new home tour. But the Spaniard is still in contention every week, and is the only LIV player to finish top-10 in every start this season (he missed one tournament due to a foot ailment). The LIV course setups are typically so forgiving that lots of players are in the mix to win, which doesn’t exactly help a two-time major winner. But Rahm still leads the tour in birdies made, and continues to be a rock-solid contender and betting staple—even if he has yet to notch his first LIV victory.
Carlos Ortiz Top-10 Finish (+165)
LIV has been a tough tour for sports bettors to figure, given that the course setups can allow players to go from also-ran to winner in a matter of weeks. That’s what happened to Ortiz, who had managed only a single top-10 finish before breaking through to win LIV Houston in June. Clearly Ortiz found something, because he finished T9 in Nashville to notch back-to-back top-10s for the first time since early 2023. Info at Data Golf indicates that Oritz has improved in both driving distance and accuracy over that span, which has presented more birdie opportunities for the Mexican star.
LIV Golf Andalucia Betting Tips
Tyrrell Hatton shot 19-under to win the most recent LIV event in Nashville, carding birdies in six of the final seven holes to win by six strokes. It was the first LIV title for the Englishman, who’s now been top-five in three of his past five starts. The defending champion at Valderrama is Talor Gooch, who’s hardly been a factor in LIV tournaments this summer, with just one top-10 finish over his past four starts.
The hottest player on LIV Golf right now might be 51-year-old Richard Bland, who’s won the last two senior majors—the Senior PGA Championship, and the U.S. Senior Open two weeks ago. Bland is also capable of picking off a top-10 on the LIV tour, as he did in Nashville with a T9. Another interesting name to watch in Andalucia is John Catlin, who finished T7 in Nashville in an alternate role (he’s filling in for the injured Charles Howell III) and then placed solo second in an International Series event in Morocco.
LIV golf standings leader Joaquin Niemann returned to form with a T3 in Nashville, but he hasn’t won since claiming the Saudi Arabia event in March. Event-to-event consistency on the LIV tour is very hard for sports bettors to find, given that only Rahm, Ortiz and Englishman Paul Casey have been top-10 in two or more consecutive events heading to Andalucia. The constants recently have been DeChambeau and Rahm, the top odds favorites in Spain, and the yin and the yang of this golf tour built on bluster and buzz.