The wind was the main protagonist of the first day of the LIV Golf Andalucía at Valderrama. It was expected and it arrived. Strong. From the west. Very generous. A very challenging day for the players and for everyone involved in preparing the course. It affected so much that play had to be suspended at 17:08 in the afternoon. The greens on the 11th and 14th, the most exposed in the Sotogrande coliseum, had become unmanageable.
In fact, an unusual scene was witnessed. Brooks Koepka, on the green of the 11th hole, par 5 with the wind completely in favour, called for the presence of the referees to complain about the hardness and speed of the green. The five-time Major champion explained that it was practically unplayable. It was a long conversation, an exchange of opinions, and the presence of some more referees. Finally, it was decided to water the green, even though 13 matches had already passed through there, that is, a total of 39 players, and there were still five more matches to go, or in other words, 15 players. That is, 39 golfers played the green one way, especially the matches just ahead of Koepka’s, including Jon Rahm, Sergio García, and Patrick Reed, and the other 15 played it in different conditions.
It should be noted that it is legal and allowed in the rules, but we say it is an unusual decision, as it is seen on very rare occasions, precisely because of the injustice it can generate. There is a quite famous precedent in the 2004 US Open at Shinnecock Hills. It happened in the final round. It was on the 7th hole, par 3. The players complained about the hardness of the green, which was practically brown, and the USGA decided to water it halfway through the round. That caused a huge controversy.
The other problem was on the 14th green. Cameron Smith putted for birdie and his putt, due to the wind, went about three metres away. Moreover, before taking that first putt, he had to replace the ball twice because it was moving on its own on the green due to the wind. Two matches later, the group of Jon Rahm and Sergio García reached the 14th. More of the same. The green was extremely difficult due to the wind. Sergio putted for birdie and watched helplessly as the wind took the ball more than three metres away. That’s what he has left for par. They also called the referee, explained the situation, and shortly after this discussion, with Sergio visibly upset, and shortly after watering the 11th hole, they decided to sound the horn and suspend play.
The greens at Valderrama were at 12.5 on the stimpmeter today, and the wind gusts, according to LIV Golf’s television coverage, exceeded 45 kilometres per hour, slightly above what the forecast said. During the suspension, all the greens were watered, with some receiving more water as needed, to try to keep the conditions as uniform as possible.
