Andy Ogletree enjoyed a remarkable 2023 on the Asian Tour that included two wins on its International Series, which helped him finish top of its Order of Merit.
That earned him a place with LIV Golf for the upcoming season, and his efforts have now been further rewarded after being named the Asian Tour’s Player of the Year with the Kyi Hla Han award.
It wasn’t just the two victories earned by the 2019 US Amateur champion that defined Ogletree’s year. He also produced five more top 10 finishes on the circuit, including ninth at the high-profile PIF Saudi International, which featured many LIV Golf players.
A measure of how the successful the American’s 2023 on the Tour had been can also be found with his rise in the world rankings. He began the year ranked 861st and finished it almost 700 places higher at World No.169.
The announcement means Ogletree follows fellow LIV Golf player Anirban Lahiri, who won the award in 2014 and 2015. Sihwan Kim, who was relegated from LIV Golf at the end of the season, also won the award in 2022.
Among the first to congratulate Ogletree on his award was his new LIV Golf team, Phil Mickelson’s HY Flyers GC, who wrote on Instagram: “Congratulations to Andy on winning the Kyi Hla Han Award for the Player of the Year on the Asian Tour!”
Ogletree and his new team will be hoping that claiming the award, which is named after the former pro and one-time executive chairman of the Asian Tour, who died in 2022, will spur him on to considerable success with LIV Golf after a disappointing first spell.
The 25-year-old competed at the inaugural LIV Golf tournament in June 2022, but he finished bottom of the leaderboard, and later admitted he “kind of got the boot.” However, he earned another chance to showcase his abilities in the 2023 season, making three appearances as a reserve.
He took advantage of that chance, too, and was particularly impressive at the LIV Golf DC tournament, where he finished sixth. Eventually, despite his limited appearances, he finished in the Open Zone of the LIV Golf individual standings in 43rd, which allowed him to avoid the LIV Golf Draft and negotiate a contract with Mickelson’s team.
Now that Ogletree has gained recognition from his Asian Tour peers with his Player of the Season award, he will be looking to push on further and establish himself as one of LIV Golf’s most successful players, beginning at the opening tournament of the season at El Camaleon Golf Club in Mexico, which begins on 2 February.
