The Club at Emerald Hills, Hollywood | Round 5 of 10 — El Golfluencer Primera Liga, powered by Liift Golf
The 2026 season of El Golfluencer’s Primera Liga has officially reached its halfway mark, and Round 5 at Emerald Hills delivered exactly the kind of drama a midseason checkpoint deserves. After stops at Miccosukee, Redland, Woodmont, and Miami Lakes, the league’s fifth round tightened the individual races in both divisions and reshuffled the team leaderboard heading into the second half of the year.
With every player’s two highest rounds dropped from their season total, the standings now reflect each competitor’s best golf — and the numbers show just how competitive this field has become.
Primera División: Cabello Holds the Throne, But the Chase Is On
Adrian Cabello (Hole in One Hunters) remains the man to beat. His season net total of 209 — anchored by a sizzling 67 at Miami Lakes — keeps him atop the Primera División, and he shares the gross lead at 227 with the division’s most consistent ball-striker, Taylor Chaffin.
But the gap is razor thin. Chaffin (Birdie Bandits) sits just five back at 214 net after posting a 75 gross / 70 net at Emerald Hills — his fifth straight round in the 70s. Behind him, Tony Puche (Grip It & Rip It) has quietly become the hottest player in the league. After opening the season with back-to-back rounds in the high 80s, Puche has ripped off three straight sub-80 gross rounds, including a 79/70 at Emerald Hills that moves him to 215 net, third overall.
Manuel Cedeño (Purple Haze, 216) and Alvaro Plata (Miami Fairway Mafia, 217) round out the top five, with Daniel Diaz and Mauricio Jofre tied at 218 just behind — seven players separated by nine strokes at the halfway point.
The round of the day, however, belonged to Greg Spelios (Only the Tips). His 74 gross / 69 net was the lowest gross score of the entire round in the Primera División — and his third consecutive week improving on the last, dropping from 83 to 77 to 74. If that trajectory continues, the leaders should be looking over their shoulders.
Primera División — Top 10 (Season Net)
| Pos | Player | Team | Season Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrian Cabello | Hole in One Hunters | 209 |
| 2 | Taylor Chaffin | Birdie Bandits | 214 |
| 3 | Tony Puche | Grip It & Rip It | 215 |
| 4 | Manuel Cedeño | Purple Haze | 216 |
| 5 | Alvaro Plata | Miami Fairway Mafia | 217 |
| T6 | Daniel Diaz | Sandbagers | 218 |
| T6 | Mauricio Jofre | Pin Seekers | 218 |
| 8 | Gerry Planells | Miami Fairway Mafia | 220 |
| T9 | Greg Spelios | Only the Tips | 223 |
| T9 | Mike Jones | Pin Seekers | 223 |
Gross Race: Taylor Chaffin and Adrian Cabello share the lead at 227, with Greg Spelios and Justin Sharp tied at 234 and Tony Puche and Alvaro Plata at 240.
Championship División: A Two-Man Tie at the Top — and a 62 That Stole the Show
If the Primera División gave us consistency, the Championship División gave us fireworks.
Raul Orozco (Birdie Bandits) turned in the single most electrifying round of the season: an 84 gross for a net 62 at Emerald Hills — the lowest net score posted by any player, in any division, in any round this year. The performance rockets Orozco into a tie for the division lead at 212 net alongside Pedro A. Infante (The Architects), who has been the division’s steadiest hand all season.
Bobby Alvarez (Birdie Bandits) sits third at 217, giving the Bandits two players inside the top three. Vivian Denyer (The Slice is Right) — who also leads the division’s gross race at 263 — is fourth at 219, followed by a logjam at 220 between Farley Ashby and Roberto Sanchez, whose 88 gross / 71 net at Emerald Hills was another of the day’s standout cards.
Championship División — Top 10 (Season Net)
| Pos | Player | Team | Season Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Pedro A. Infante | The Architects | 212 |
| T1 | Raul Orozco | Birdie Bandits | 212 |
| 3 | Bobby Alvarez | Birdie Bandits | 217 |
| 4 | Vivian Denyer | The Slice is Right | 219 |
| T5 | Farley Ashby | The Slice is Right | 220 |
| T5 | Roberto Sanchez | The Architects | 220 |
| 7 | Richard Sanz | The Slice is Right | 221 |
| 8 | Daniel Perez | Hole in One Hunters | 225 |
| 9 | Andres Madrid | Grip It & Rip It | 226 |
| T10 | Alfonso Vergara | Grip It & Rip It | 228 |
| T10 | Danny Fernandez | The Slice is Right | 228 |
Gross Race: Vivian Denyer leads at 263, one clear of Farley Ashby (264), with Roberto Sanchez (266) and Raul Orozco (269) in close pursuit.
Teams Category: Birdie Bandits Seize the Lead
The team battle — where every stroke from every roster member counts — saw a changing of the guard at the midseason mark. The Birdie Bandits, powered by Orozco’s historic 62, Bobby Alvarez’s steady play, and Taylor Chaffin’s relentless consistency, now hold the Team Net lead at 1,104.
The Slice is Right (1,116) and The Architects (1,120) are within striking distance, with the Sandbagers (1,132) — who posted a full-squad effort at Emerald Hills — and Grip It & Rip It (1,142) completing the top five. In the Team Gross standings, the Sandbagers lead at 1,338, ahead of the Birdie Bandits (1,354) and The Slice is Right (1,369).
Teams Standings (Season Net)
| Pos | Team | Season Net | Season Gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birdie Bandits | 1,104 | 1,354 |
| 2 | The Slice is Right | 1,116 | 1,369 |
| 3 | The Architects | 1,120 | 1,412 |
| 4 | Sandbagers | 1,132 | 1,338 |
| 5 | Grip It & Rip It | 1,142 | 1,404 |
| 6 | Purple Haze | 1,179 | 1,405 |
| 7 | Pin Seekers | 1,189 | 1,437 |
| 8 | Miami Fairway Mafia | 1,197 | 1,420 |
| 9 | Neil’s Old Boys | 1,215 | 1,437 |
| 10 | Hole in One Hunters | 1,241 | 1,474 |
| 11 | Only the Tips | 1,251 | 1,478 |
The Road Ahead
Five rounds down, five to go. With the drop-score format rewarding players who keep improving, no lead is safe — a hot second half can erase a slow start, and the difference between first and seventh in the Primera División is just nine strokes.
Round 6 is next, and if the first half of the 2026 season is any indication, the Primera Liga’s defining stretch is only beginning.
El Golfluencer Primera Liga is powered by Liift Golf. Follow the full standings, scorecards, and round recaps at liift.golf.