When Talor Gooch holed out last year’s final birdie On the 18th hole, which gave him victory over his compatriot and current US Open winner, Bryson DeChambeau, the Real Club Valderrama erupted in cheers, the fans excited to have seen a tournament with the nobility of golf, the demanding Saudi patrons happy for the magnetic organisation of the new tournament on the LIV circuit, and the players satisfied because the course remained in good condition during the three days of the competition. The tournament board, although also very satisfied, understood that Valderrama’s defence had to be emphasised a little, since the champion’s -12 did not quite convey the complexity of the course. A problem that they understand as logical, even though they will try to disguise it in this edition, aware that without wind or humidity they will continue to make very few. “They are the best golfers in the world and this course is not very long, so no matter how much we can make it a little harder, they can always achieve a great result,” agrees Javier Reviriego, the club’s general manager, who is delighted to be holding a new competition from 12 to 14 July.
Valderrama’s defense has always been its grove, which makes it a technical route, in addition to the greens fast and tough. “We are prepared for them to be fast and not get stressed because the grass has healthy and deep roots, so we can give it a bit of a beating,” Reviriego says proudly. Although it has not been easy because the date is later than last year and the temperatures are higher. “The handicap is the climate,” admits Alfonso Ramos, greenkeeper de Valderrama, an agricultural engineer with a degree in Golf Tour Grass Management from the University of Michigan, who did a scholarship in fields in the United States and then in Wentworth (England) to end up in Andalusia; “because in October you can cut off the water and not water, and nothing happens, but in July you can’t let go. If you want it to be hard and fast, you have to cut off the water, give more passes of the roller and make sure the plant doesn’t suffer. You have to find a balance.” To do this, the humidity and hardness are measured every day with sensors (they use the dBR), all very scientific, and it is watered by hand controlling to provide the water where this grass of the variety Agrostis Stolonífera T1 or L-93 needs it. “But in Valderrama something that characterizes us is the variety of grass, since we have Bermuda Tifway 419 on the street and Festuca in the rough“, says Ramos.
Precisely, with the rough The difficulty of the course will also be raised. “We are going to put it a little higher than last year because perhaps the course was easier than planned,” admits Reviriego. “This way the ball that does not hit the fairway is punished a little,” adds Ramos; “but it will be more noticeable around the greenwhere it will still be a little higher rough“These are details that will try to make Valderrama tough, like the green Hole 1, which has been completely renovated and is the only change to the course compared to last year. “The front part had a steep slope of about 7 centimetres, which prevented putting the flag there because it was impossible to stop the ball. So we spoke with Kyle Phillips, the course architect, and the slopes have been adjusted so that we can also put it there one day,” Reviriego reveals.
No one will be missing from the circuit, with DeChambeau and Rahm at the head – “these two have boosted sales and we will improve on the 38,000 who came last year,” says Reviriego-, also with Koepka (winner of five majors and three second places), as well as other geniuses of the clubs such as Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Cam Smith, Tyrrell Hatton, Sergio García… They are the aces of the LIV, shaker of a sport until now classic and rigid under the umbrella of the petrodollars of Saudi Arabia, the still enemy of the PGA Tour – the American circuit and also the world circuit – in the absence of a unification as vaunted as it is postponed. sine die. While waiting for the peace treaty, however, the LIV celebration continues and is now being held at Valderrama, which will also change aspects of logistics for this edition, such as improving the experience of hole 17 for fans with a grandstand behind the greenor a new catering company for the food trucks. Because the LIV is a spectacle – the three days can be seen from 99 to 2,190 euros, depending on the area you want – with DJs, tents, areas for fans and even the ropes closest to the golfers to experience it up close. Some, however, will not only look at the swings of the golfers but will pay attention to the mat, the one that for eight weeks the club staff [greenkeeper, mecánicos, fontaneros y hasta 24 jardineros] has been cared for with the greatest care, with scientific treatments and the hand of an agricultural engineer.
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