July looks to be a great month for LIV and golf in general. After a short break, LIV returns to action in Spain and the United Kingdom, with several LIV golfers featured in the field of The Open at Royal Troon, Scotland.
Before the action resumes, we’re examining one of LIV’s more consistent, though unheralded golfers who may be ready to make a name for himself with a surprise victory at Andalucia, a course he came close to winning last season, Torque GC’s Sebastian Muñoz.
Examining Muñoz’s 2024 Statistics
| Fairway Hit Percentage | 62.43 | 14th |
| Birdies | 4.56 | 6th |
| Eagles | 0.11 | 16th |
| Scrambling Percentage | 57.86 | 40th |
| GIR Percentage | 71.19 | 15th |
| Putting Average | 1.59 | 19th |
| Driving Distance | 298.7 | 37th |
Muñoz’s Comprehensive 2023/24 Statistics
As you can see from the statistics above, Muñoz is right in the thick of above-average golfers on most stats, and elite when it comes to scoring birdies.
The five golfers better than Muñoz at scoring birdies? Well, they’ve all won individual championships this year minus Jon Rahm. (Rahm, Neimann, Hatton, Ortiz, and Ancer).
As such, scoring birdies is the biggest indicator of a golfer who is capable of winning.
There’s no other statistic that LIV tracks where the majority of top five golfers are made up of individual winners.
Muñoz’s game puts him right in the middle of the field in terms of quality starts, finishing in the top ten twice, and not really having a poor showing outside of Adelaide.
The Australian outlier sparks no need for concern about his ability to win, however. Past winners Dean Burmester, Brendan Steele, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, and Carlos Ortiz have all finished worse than 38th at least once this season.
The fact that Muñoz has been getting progressively better since Adelaide is a notable bit.
Muñoz joins an exclusive club of golfers who have been improving each of the past three matches straight.
Muñoz’s 2024 Results
| Venue | Finish | Overall Score |
| Mayakoba | 13th | -5 |
| Las Vegas | 9th | -7 |
| Jeddah | 22nd | -6 |
| Hong Kong | 21st | -7 |
| Miami | 27th | E |
| Adelaide | 38th | -7 |
| Singapore | 19th | -7 |
| Houston | 15th | -6 |
| Nashville | 7th | -11 |
Andalucia Provides the Perfect Venue for a Win
Even if he did not win Andalucia last time around, Muñoz’s fourth-place finish in Andalucia helped Torque GC win by five strokes over the then-dominant RangeGoats GC.
Of the top three individual finishers in Andalucia 2023, only Brooks Koepka has won during this current season, with Talor Gooch and Bryson DeChambeau currently remaining winless.
The lack of dominant performances from an individual standpoint may not be good for television ratings, but it certainly gives hope to a number of players who have been fighting for a podium finish.
For Muñoz, a win would mean his third top-ten finish, and would almost definitively secure his spot in the ‘Lock Zone’ (Standings 1st – 24th) where he currently sits, while straddling the line of the ‘Open Zone’ (Standings 25th – 44th).
What it Takes to Win in LIV
Tyrrell Hatton raised the bar at LIV Nashville, scoring an incredible 19-under and besting Brendan Steele’s Adelaide score by one stroke.
As you can see from the table below, all previous winners have scored in the double digits below par.
This is a prerequisite that Muñoz has only accomplished once this season, which may be his most glaring weakness, but from his most recent showing at Nashville, momentum is on the Colombian’s side.
How Hard is it to Actually Win?
| Venue | Winner | Overall Score |
| Mayakoba | Neimann | -12 |
| Las Vegas | Johnson | -12 |
| Jeddah | Neimann | -17 |
| Hong Kong | Ancer | -13 |
| Miami | Burmester | -11 |
| Adelaide | Steele | -18 |
| Singapore | Koepka | -15 |
| Houston | Ortiz | -15 |
| Nashville | Hatton | -19 |
The 2024 field also seems to be a bit stronger than 2023 with Torque GC teammate and captain Joaquin Neimann remaining the only repeat winner.
Torque also sits at third place overall in the team standings mainly in part to a recent win by teammate Carlos Ortiz who took the trophy at LIV Houston.
There may be some added internal pressure from Muñoz to win, as two of his teammates have clearly set high bars as proven winners through their accomplishments.
A victory for Muñoz would mean instantly propelling his team into cementing third place or better, and setting Torque GC up nicely for the team championship at the end of this season.
Is it time for Muñoz to win? Find out next weekend July 12 – 14 at Real Club Valderama, Spain!
