Poniente blast. Hold on tight because it’s going to be a bumpy ride. More than one person has started to brace themselves at Valderrama in light of the weather radar. What it says for the first day of the LIV Golf Andalucía taking place this Friday is as follows: sustained winds from one o’clock in the afternoon (start time) between 31 and 34 kilometres per hour and gusts that will generously exceed 40 kilometres. A serious matter.
What does it mean to be Poniente? First, it comes from the west, stating the obvious, and second, it comes from inland. This is more important. It’s a warmer, less humid wind, therefore, it dries out wherever it goes. In other words, the greens are going to become harder and faster. Quite a bit more difficult. This Thursday afternoon, they were already watering the course to avoid unpleasant surprises.
The Poniente wind comes across on holes 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, and 18. This means that on three of the four par 3s at Valderrama (3, 6, and 12), it is crosswind. Hitting the green will become a risky sport this Friday. On the 12th, it also has a significant tailwind component, which will help a bit, but not enough to celebrate.
Additionally, it’s against on holes 4, 14, 16, and 17. We won’t see many going for the green in two on the par 5s of 4 and 17. On the 4th, we can rule it out already, while on the 17th, only those capable of launching a bomb from the tee might have the courage to go for the green in two. Hole 16, without a doubt, is going to be very challenging. When there’s no wind, many use a 3-wood to ensure a good position. It’s possible that this Friday will require the driver, which could make things much more difficult.
Conversely, it’s favourable on holes 5, 9, 11, 13, and 15. This means we’ll see a lot of iron from the tee on the 5th, which will help save one of the most challenging holes at Valderrama, like the 9th, and on the 11th, we’ll see everyone going for the green in two… and some with short irons. The tailwind should help a bit on hole 15, a very tough par 3, although it’s so challenging that it doesn’t matter which way the wind blows because it always demands a great shot.
Will the first day of the LIV Golf Andalucía be a survival battle? Well, a battle for sure, and the matter of survival will depend on how they prepare the course. You know there are tees that can be moved, and with so much wind, it’s likely they’ll slow down the speed of the greens a bit. In any case, it will be a challenging day, Valderrama in its purest form.
And what is expected for the rest of the days? Well, initially, Saturday is going to be quite similar. According to the forecast, it will blow from the Poniente again with slightly less intensity, but only slightly. It will still be spicy. Meanwhile, for Sunday, the wind is expected to decrease significantly. The forecast indicates winds of 13 kilometres per hour and gusts that won’t reach 20.
