ROCESTER: Two years ago, American Andy Ogletree was part of the first LIV Golf course in London. It didn't go well. Battling a lingering heart and back injury last year, he finished last and left looking for a chance to play.
This week, Ogletree is playing again in the LIV Golf event in England, and he is coming back from another injury. But this time his position on the chart is completely different.
Shooting a bogey-free 6-under 65, Ogletree is at 12 under and will lead by two shots entering the final round of LIV Golf UK on Sunday at JCB Golf and Country Club. On the team side, Smash GC and Legion XIII share four points with Ogletree HyFlyers GC, Stinger GC and Torque GC.
Not only is Ogletree looking 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 a spot at LIV Golf this season as the 2023 international champion.
“It's a crazy road. I don't know exactly what that will mean. We'll see. But for now, just focus on tomorrow, focus on taking care of the things 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 look too far — his closest pursuers are two of LIV Golf's top players.
Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith is hoping to take the UK LIV Golf title for the second season in a row, having won last year's London event at the Centurion Club. Legion XIII star Tyrrell Hatton recently won his first LIV Golf title in Nashville and has been one of the most consistent players in the league since joining.
Smith and Hatton are both at 10 under, but seem completely unsatisfied with second-round 5-under 66s.
Smith seemed to be breaking away from the pack after his second birdie putt of the day left him with a two-up lead. But an errant drive on the 16th hole followed by a water ball on the island-green 17th resulted in back-to-back bogeys.
“Probably the most disappointing 5-under I think I've ever had,” said the three-time LIV Golf winner. “It was really fun since there were two swings.”
Hatton, like Ogletree, was bogey-free in his round and hit it well from tee to green, as there were only two greens in regulation. But his putter didn't heat up until his last 10 holes.
“I played really nice golf and I felt like I was blowing some air,” he said afterward. “It didn't feel like there was a hole at all. It took until the 10th hole for the putt to drop.”
Smith and Hatton will play in the final group on Sunday with Ogletree, 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, who are 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 the RangeGoats duo of Matthew Wolff and Peter Uihlein.
It will be a big task for Ogletree to stop them all, but because of the journey he has taken to get to this point, he is ready for the challenge. He is currently 38th in points but a win would push him into the top 24 Zone Lock with two regular season contests remaining.
“I think I'm going to be scared, but I'm looking forward to it,” he said. “I'm going to run to that pressure and take it, and I think everybody's going to be nervous on the road. Whatever happens, I will accept it and learn from it and move on. “
Standings and scoring for Saturday's second round:
The best three scores from each team count in the first two rounds while the top four scores count in the final round. The team with the lowest combined points after three rounds wins the team title.
T1. SMASH GC-21 (Gooch 66, Koepka 68, Kokrak 69; Rd. 2 points: -10)
T1. LEGION XIII -21 (Hatton 66, Surratt 68, Rahm 70; Rd. 2 points: -9)
T3. TORQUE GC -17 (Niemann 67, Ortiz 67, Munoz 68; Rd. 2 points: -11)
T3. STINGER GC-17 (Oosthuizen 67, Schwartzel 67, Grace 70; score Rd. 2: -9)
T3. HYFLYERS GC -17 (Ogletree 65, Tringale 70, Mickelson 72; Rd. 2 points: -6)
T6. CRUSHERS GC -16 (DeChambeau 65, Casey 66, Catlin 71; Rd. 2 points: -11)
T6. FIREBALLS GC -16 (Puig 68, Chacarra 70, Garcia 70; Rd. 2 points: -5)
T8. RANGEGOATS GC -15 (Uihlein 67, Wolff 68, Watson 72; Rd. 2 points: -6)
T9. CLEEKS GC -13 (Bland 68, Samooja 68, Meronk 69; Rd. 2 points: -8)
T9. RIPPER GC -13 (Smith 66, Ormsby 71, Herbert 72; Rd. 2 points: -4)
T11. MAJESTICKS GC -10 (Poulter 68, Stenson 69, Horsfield 70; Rd. 2 points: -6)
T12. IRON HEAD GC -8 (Vincent 66, Kozuma 69, Na 70; Rd. 2 points: -8)
T12. 4ACES GC -8 (Reed 68, Perez 69, Johnson 69; Rd. 2 points: -7)
