Andy Ogletree has been named in the Crushers GC team for this week’s LIV Golf Orlando event after regular team member Anirban Lahiri withdrew from the Orange County National tournament for personal reasons.
That will mark the first LIV Golf appearance for the American since his one and only start in the circuit’s first-ever tournament at London’s Centurion Club last June. Back then, the 2019 US Amateur champion finished rock bottom of the individual standings at 24-over for the tournament.
That disappointing performance, coupled with the arrival of higher-profile players as the season progressed, meant he didn’t get another opportunity in 2022, and later admitted: “I kind of got the boot”.
The remaining three members of Crushers GC, which is captained by Bryson DeChambeau, will be hoping it’s a case of second-time lucky for Ogletree and that he can bring some better form this week. The team has some momentum, and is currently third in the points standings, so there will be some pressure for him to perform well.
Considering Ogletree’s form in recent months, they will have plenty of room for optimism. The 24-year-old has won two International Series events on the Asian Tour in relatively short order, most recently in February’s International Series Qatar.
Those victories have also given Ogletree a real chance of a permanent return to LIV Golf in 2024. The winner of the International Series Order of Merit is handed a place in the League, and Ogletree currently tops that list.
While he couldn’t follow up those successes in his most recent International Series outing, where he finished tied for 48th in Thailand, Ogletree’s LIV Golf return just three tournaments into the new season will surely be seen as reward for his generally excellent form.
Elsewhere, Laurie Canter continues as part of Cleeks GC. Canter was one of seven players initially dropped for season two of the circuit, but this will be his third start in a row as captain Martin Kaymer continued to recover from injury.
