Two years ago, Andy Ogletree was part of the inaugural LIV Golf field in London. It did not go well for the American.
Fighting through hip and back injuries that had lingered from the previous year, he finished in last place and was left scrambling for playing opportunities.
This week, Ogletree once again is playing a LIV Golf event in England, and he once again is bouncing back from injury. But his position on the leaderboard has done an about-face through the first two rounds at LIV Golf UK by JCB.
Shooting a bogey-free six-under 65, Ogletree is at 12 under and will take a two-shot lead entering Sunday’s final round at JCB Golf and Country Club.
On the team side, Smash GC and Legion XIII share a four-shot lead over Ogletree’s HyFlyers GC, Stinger GC and Torque GC.
Not only is Ogletree seeking his first LIV Golf title and the biggest victory of his young career, he also hopes to complete an amazing redemption story.
“Complete the journey,” said Ogletree, who joined Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers after earning a LIV Golf spot this season as the 2023 International Series champion. “It’s been a crazy road.
“I don’t know exactly what it will mean. We’ll see. But for now, just focus on tomorrow, focus on taking care of the things that I can control, and we’ll go from there.”
Ogletree, forced to adjust his swing this season to compensate for an injured left wrist, can’t afford to look too far ahead because his closest pursuers are two of LIV Golf’s top players.
Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith is hoping to win a LIV Golf title in England for the second consecutive season, having won last year’s London event at Centurion Club.
Legion XIII star Tyrrell Hatton recently won his first LIV Golf title in Nashville and has been one of the league’s most consistent players since joining the league.
Smith and Hatton are each at 10 under, but neither seemed completely pleased with their second round five-under 66s.
Smith appeared to be separating from the pack after his eighth birdie of the day left him leading by two. But an errant drive at the 16th hole followed by a water ball at the island-green 17th produced consecutive bogeys.
“Probably the most disappointing five-under I think I’ve ever had,” said the three-time LIV Golf winner. “Was feeling really nice until a couple of loose swings.”
Hatton, like Ogletree, was bogey-free on his round and was striking it well from tee to green, as he missed just two greens in regulation. But his putter didn’t heat up until his final 10 holes
“Played some really nice golf and just felt like I was putting to thin air,” Hatton said. “Didn’t feel like there was actually a hole out there. It took until the 10th hole for a putt to drop.”
Smith and Hatton will play in the final group Sunday with Ogletree, but there are seven other players within five shots of the lead, including Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm and Crushers GC’s Paul Casey, who are tied for fourth; 2023 Individual Champion Talor Gooch, tied for sixth with Stinger GC captain Louis Oosthuizen; and Gooch’s Smash GC captain Brooks Koepka, who is tied for eighth with the RangeGoats duo of Matthew Wolff and Peter Uihlein.
Oosthuizen carded a second successive 67 on Saturday, this time a bogey-free round with four birdies.
Oosthuizen’s Stinger teammates Charl Schwartzel and Dean Burmester are five under and four under respectively, with Branden Grace struggling on four over.
It’s a big task for Ogletree to hold off all those pursuers, but given his journey to reach this point, he’s ready for the challenge. He’s currently 38th in points but a win would move him inside the top 24 Lock Zone with just two regular-season tournaments remaining.
“I think I’ll be nervous, but I’ll look forward to that,” he said. “I’ll run towards that pressure and embrace it, and I think everyone is going to be nervous coming down the stretch. Whatever happens, I’ll accept it and learn from it and move on.”
Photo: Charles Laberge/LIV Golf
