Andy Ogletree of HyFlyers GC who will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the UK event at the JCB Golf & Country Club on Sunday. Image courtesy LIV Golf/ Charles Laberge.
From a Correspondent
Rocester, England: Two years ago, Andy Ogletree was part of the inaugural LIV Golf field in London, and 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 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.
With a bogey-free 6 under par 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.
Squaring the circle
“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 5-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.
Losing focus
“Probably the most disappointing 5-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.
Behind them is 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’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.”
Catlin’s ace
Crushers GC reserve player John Catlin holed his tee shot at the island green 17th for his second career hole-in-one in competition play on Saturday.
It was the seventh ace in LIV Golf history and the fourth this season.
The 33-year-old American intended to land his 7-iron at 191 yards and let it feed down from the right-hand side of the green. The ball did everything Catlin wanted it to do, taking a sharp turn right and tracked into the cup.
Catlin threw his arms up in the air as the ball disappeared and the packed grandstand behind him broke into wild celebration while the other members of his group, Ian Poulter and Patrick Reed, offered congratulations.
“This was special. It was pretty cool, especially having that big, grandstand behind us and everyone going nuts. I went nuts as well,” said Catlin, who is playing his fourth tournament for the injured Charles Howell III. (courtesy LIV Golf)
Day 2 counting scores
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. Torque GC -17 (Niemann 67, Ortiz 67, Muñoz 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)
8. 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)
11. 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)
Round 2 stats
Driving accuracy: Louis Oosthuizen, 92.86% (13 of 14 fairways hit)
Driving distance: Anthony Kim, 329.0 yards avg.
Longest drive: Anthony Kim, 355.8 yards, 10th hole
Greens in regulation: Tyrrell Hatton, Scott Vincent, 88.89% (16 of 18 greens)
Scrambling: Bryson DeChambeau (5 of 5), Louis Oosthuizen (5 of 5), Andy Ogletree (4 of 4), Tyrrell Hatton (2 of 2), 100%
Putting: Adrian Meronk, 1.33 putts per hole
Bogey-free rounds: Andy Ogletree (65), Bryson DeChambeau (65), Tyrrell Hatton (66), Louis Oosthuizen (67)
Also read: On-point Rahm leads LIV UK field, Legionnaires in the van too
Discover more from Tee Time Tales
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.