Andalucía Preview: HyFlyers GC aims to rebound in Spain
Team: HyFlyers Golf Club
Previous event team finish: 10th in Nashville
Season-long team standings: 12th
Top finisher from previous event: Brendan Steele, T14
Fun stat: Despite some frustrations in 2024, Captain Phil Mickelson and Andy Ogletree are among the League’s best putters. Mickelson is T14 in average putts per round (28.48) and Ogletree is T18 (28.52).
Preview
Despite some recent positive flashes and scoreboard surges, HyFlyers Golf Club has been mostly stuck in neutral during the last few events. But the star-studded team is hoping to get its engine revved up this week as it heads to LIV Golf Andalucía at Real Club Valderrama.
The team is coming off finishes of T8-T8-10 in its last three events but had posted a third-place podium finish just before that stretch at LIV Golf Adelaide. In fact, the team’s second-best finish of 2024 came at LIV Golf Jeddah (T6), so perhaps another trip outside of the United States will bode well for a late season run.
"It's really fun for us to come to such a world-class golf course that has held WGC events, Ryder Cups, European Tour events and LIV events, and it really is a unique, special golf course that's been created here amongst these trees," Captain Phil Mickelson said. "It's real treat to play."
Mickelson’s goal will be to get his players to string together three straight days with no outlier scores, and the six-time major champion can take positives from Nashville. On Sunday with all four scores counting, the team combined for an 8-under total. The day before in Round 2, every player on the team shot even par or better, so it appears the consistency is heading in a positive direction.
Steele heads to Spain continuing to lead the team and stands 18th in the standings. He won the individual title at LIV Golf Adelaide in late April and is coming off a fine finish in Nashville (T14) where he shot a combined 8 under on the weekend in hot and challenging conditions. Cameron Tringale started slowly in Nashville but finished strong, combining to go 6 under on the weekend. Mickelson finished under par for the week (2 under) and didn’t record a score over par, which shows his game is sharp.
A key for HyFlyers GC will be how Andy Ogletree rebounds. He is 35th in the season-long standings but did not have an under-par score in Nashville. Ogletree has three straight results in the 40s, but it was just four events ago when he finished T3 in Adelaide.
LIV Golf Andalucía will bring back fond memories for the team. HyFlyers GC finished eighth at Real Club Valderrama last year and was just five shots shy of a top-5 finish. Tringale posted an eighth-place finish while Steele (22nd) and Mickelson (26th) performed well.
Real Club Valderrama should be a nice fit for the team once again. The historic course is beloved by amateurs and professionals alike. Known as one of the most iconic holes in golf, the par-5 17th features a natural amphitheater and has been the setting for sun-drenched comebacks, triple bogeys, and even an albatross from LIV Golf member Graeme McDowell.
It hosted the Volvo Masters off and on from 1988-2008, the Andalucía Masters from 2010-2011 and 2017-23, the WGC-American Express Championship from 1999-2000, and the Ryder Cup in 1997. The course, which is shorter than most professional venues, is known for its ability to test the game’s top players and has plenty of trouble sprinkled throughout. Players who can hit a wide variety of shots typically do well on the famed layout.
Four tournaments are left in the regular season, followed by the Team Championship in Dallas in September.