HyFlyers aim to put Valderrama in the rearview mirror

Real Club Valderrama proved to be a historically tough test for nearly every team at LIV Golf Andalucía. Just ask HyFlyers Golf Club.

The team will look to flush the negatives from Valderrama after an 11th-place finish following three days of challenging conditions that tested some of the world’s best players on one of golf’s most iconic layouts.

In fact, the opening round went down as the toughest day in LIV Golf history. Friday’s field stroke average of 3.519 over par was the highest for any of LIV Golf’s 88 regular-season rounds. Collectively, the field was 190 over, and just one hole played under par, the par-5 11th.

So as disappointed as the team was following Sunday’s final round, it wasn’t the only one to feel dismayed. The team finished at 20-over par for the week, but two other teams had worse finishes.

Three team members finished the week with the same score. Captain Phil Mickelson, Cameron Tringale and Brendan Steele ended tied for 27th at 6 over. Andy Ogletree will look to put the week behind him after finishing T42.

The team exits Valderrama sitting 12th in the season-long standings. Brendan Steele, who won the individual title at Adelaide in April, is the highest HyFlyers GC member in the individual standings at 20th.

The busy stretch for a lot of LIV Golf members continues this week at The Open Championship at Royal Troon. Mickelson will be playing in his 30th Open Championship and is looking to add to his Hall of Fame career which includes six major titles, including his historic victory at The Open at Muirfield in 2013. In 2016, Mickelson and fellow LIV Golf member Henrik Stenson staged an epic duel at Royal Troon in 2016 before Stenson pulled away for a three-shot victory.

Ogletree, meanwhile, will be making his debut at The Open. His international success in recent years has given the young player plenty of confidence entering Royal Troon. Ogletree has been a force on the Asian Tour and its International Series events, and he claimed Player of the Year honors in 2023.

The full team will be back in action on the LIV Golf League in two weeks at LIV Golf UK at JCB Golf & Country Club.