ROCESTER: Two years ago American Andy Ogletree was part of the inaugural LIV Golf course in London. It didn't turn out well. After battling lingering hip and back injuries from the previous year, he finished last and had to scramble for playing opportunities.
This week, Ogletree is playing again in the LIV Golf tournament in England, returning from injury. But this time his ranking position is significantly different.
Ogletree shot a bogey-free 6-under 65 to go 12 under and take a two-shot lead into Sunday's final round of the LIV Golf UK at JCB Golf and Country Club. On the team side, Smash GC and Legion XIII have a four-shot lead over Ogletree's HyFlyers GC, Stinger GC and Torque GC.
Not only is Ogletree aiming for his first LIV golf title and the biggest win of his career, but he's also hoping to complete an amazing story of redemption.
“Finish the journey,” said Ogletree, who joined Phil Mickelson's HyFlyers after earning LIV Golf's spot as the 2023 International Series champion this season.
“It's been a crazy journey. I don't know exactly what that will mean. We'll see. But now just focus on tomorrow, focus on taking care of the things I can control and we'll go from there.'
Forced to adjust his swing this season to compensate for an injured left wrist, Ogletree can't afford to look too far ahead — with two of LIV Golf's top players as his closest pursuers.
Ripper GC captain Cameron Smith is hoping to claim the LIV Golf England title for the second successive season after winning last year's event in London at the 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.
Smith and Hatton are each at 10 under, but neither looked completely satisfied with their second-round 5-under 66.
Smith appeared to be breaking away from the pack after his eighth birdie of the day left him two up. But a botched drive on the 16th hole followed by a water ball on the island green 17th produced back-to-back bogeys.
“Probably the most disappointing 5-under I've ever had,” said the three-time LIV Golf champion. “I felt really good until a few loose swings.
Hatton, like Ogletree, was bogey-free in his round and hit 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.
“I played really nice golf and I felt like I was blowing it,” he said afterward. “I didn't feel like there was really a hole. Patt didn't make it until the 10th hole.”
Smith and Hatton will play Ogletree in the final group on Sunday, but there are seven other players within five shots of the lead. They include Legion XIII captain Jon Rahm and Crushers GC's Paul Casey, tied for fourth place; 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 RangeGoats duo Matthew Wolff and Peter Uihlein.
It will be a tall order for Ogletree to contain them all, but given the journey he's taken to get to this point, he's up for the challenge. He is currently 38th in points, but a win would move him into the Lock Zone's top 24 with just two regular season tournaments remaining.
“I think I'll be nervous, but I'll be looking forward to it,” he said. “I'm going to run up to that pressure and hug him and I think everybody's going to be nervous as it goes on. Whatever happens, I'll accept it, learn from it and move on.''
Standings and results of Saturday's second round:
The top three scores from each team count in the first two rounds, while all four results count in the final round. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds wins the team title.
T1. SMASH GC -21 (Gooch 66, Koepka 68, Kokrak 69; Rd. 2 score: -10)
T1. LEGION XIII -21 (Hatton 66, Surratt 68, Rahm 70; Rd. 2 score: -9)
T3. MOMENT GC -17 (Niemann 67, Ortiz 67, Munoz 68; Rd. 2 score: -11)
T3. STINGER GC-17 (Oosthuizen 67, Schwartzel 67, Grace 70; Rd. 2 score: -9)
T3. HYFLYERS GC -17 (Ogletree 65, Tringale 70, Mickelson 72; Rd. 2 score: -6)
T6. CRUSHERS GC -16 (DeChambeau 65, Casey 66, Catlin 71; Rd. 2 score: -11)
T6. FIREBALLS GC -16 (Puig 68, Chacarra 70, Garcia 70; Rd. 2 score: -5)
T8. RANGEGOATS GC -15 (Uihlein 67, Wolff 68, Watson 72; Rd. 2 score: -6)
T9. CLEEKS GC -13 (Bland 68, Samooja 68, Meronk 69; Rd. 2 score: -8)
T9. RIPPER GC -13 (Smith 66, Ormsby 71, Herbert 72; Rd. 2 score: -4)
T11. MAJESTICKS GC -10 (Poulter 68, Stenson 69, Horsfield 70; Rd. 2 score: -6)
T12. IRON HEADS GC -8 (Vincent 66, Kozuma 69, Na 70; Rd. 2 score: -8)
T12. 4ACES GC -8 (Reed 68, Perez 69, Johnson 69; Rd. 2 score: -7)
