MAJESTICKS GC READY TO RIDE THE MOMENTUM OF VALDERRAMA

The team was denied a podium finish in Nashville by a late turn of events, but the fourth place matched their best result of the season (Hong Kong), and their 32-under-par tally was one shot better than what they aggregated in the Far East Asian city.

More importantly, two members of the team – Sam Horsfield and Co-Captain Lee Westwood – recorded their career best results in LIV Golf. Horsfield was runner-up at The Grove, while Westwood’s tied 3rd was one better than his previous LIV best of tied 4th in Boston in 2022.

Boston in 2022 was also the last time Majesticks finished inside the top-three, and that’s one stat they would dearly want to change this week at the iconic Real Club Valderrama. The cork oak trees that line the fairways of the golf course places a huge premium on hitting fairways and finding greens, and the Majesticks have always been very good at doing that.

And then there is the Henrik Stenson factor. The Swedish Co-Captain will play next week’s 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon, venue of his unforgettable win in 2016 when he prevailed over the HyFlyers GC Captain Phil Mickelson in what can only be called a battle of the ages.

Valderrama is ranked among the toughest tests in the world, and the wind-swept golf course should be the perfect preparation for Stenson, who has felt he is getting closer to his old form.

The 48-year-old, who became the first Swedish male player to win a major title with his heroics at Royal Troon, is fourth in fairways hit and ninth in greens in regulation this season on LIV Golf.

“I like to play from the fairway and that’s something I think you need to do here at Valderrama. It’s a fantastic venue. I’ve seen it in some pretty harsh conditions when we played here in the past when it used to be in October,” said Stenson.

“So, it’s a nice change to come here and sunbathe and just enjoy Spain in the summer. It’s a challenging golf course. You know, it could be a couple of revolutions and too much spin with the second shot, and you are 60 yards down the hill, and it’s really difficult to get an up-and-down. You hit a good shot in, you might leave yourself six feet up the hill for birdie.

“The difference between a great score and a bad score on a hole could be very, very thin. You’ve got to step carefully around this place, and it is a strategy golf course.”

Horsfield showed that he carried his form from Houston to the UK, where he shot consecutive rounds of 3-under 69 to secure medalist honours in the Final Qualifying at West Lancashire and secured his place alongside Stenson at Royal Troon.

“I’ve turned my game around in the last few weeks, made a few changes. I feel like my brain is in the right place with everything, and then obviously that leads to good golf. It is going to be a great few weeks, the major in the middle of it. It is going to be epic,” Horsfield said after qualifying.

There is no reason why the 27-year-old Englishman should not be able to ride that momentum in Valderrama. The second place in Nashville helped him jump to No22 in the season-long Individual Standings of the League and in the Lock Zone.

And hopefully, a similar jump will happen for the team this week. Majesticks are currently 11th in the League with 26 points, but are trending in the right direction.